> So, why are alcohol (and nicotine) still legal then?

I don't disagree with your answer but... Kids cannot buy alcohol and kids cannot buy cigarettes. It's kinda the whole point of TFA.

The conclusion of TFA aren't to outlaw social media: it's preventing kids from accessing these mediocre piece of shit websites/apps before 16.

And maybe that lesson is hiding in ellipsis or maybe it's not. Who knows...

I wasn't expecting a reference to Prohibition to be that cryptic to some.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition#Effects

This is actually the classic example of where personal accountability fails, which is what cigarette companies would lobby for. Which is the root of this post

As a result governments have stepped in and now there are age restrictions on both smoking and alcohol, blood alcohol limits for driving, lockout laws, no advertisement of cigarettes in supermarkets, additional taxes on cigarettes, plain packaging on cigarettes.

Making something immediately completely illegal isn’t necessarily the correct course of action. But governments have stepped in to try and help people exercise personal accountability.

Disclaimer: the examples are from within Australia

Um. They are heavily regulated? Isn't that what is being argued for for social media?