Talking online =/= being a peer
Sometimes kids need adult perspectives. I saw a kid online once who was struggling with transitioning, I told him he wasn’t trans but rather just wasn’t hypermasculine and that’s ok. I can’t imagine his parents getting mad at me telling him he’s not trans. Do you know how many minor only spaces he could’ve fallen into that would’ve told him he was?
I don’t think minors and adults should be best friends online, I don’t believe minors should be online at all. But I think prohibiting all interaction despite the fact that anyone under 17 shouldn’t have a single social media account isn’t productive, interaction is important because anyone under 17 shouldn’t have a single social media account. The adults need to be there to tell the kids to be safe or just fucking leave. I’ve told kids online to stop posting their sh scars, get out of NSFW spaces, stop online dating, delete their accounts. This is stuff other kids just won’t tell them.
Again, I’m not advocating for adults and kids to be besties online, just that prohibiting any interaction outside of DMs is very iffy to me.