On poison and high voltage wires, the label clearly informs us that this can kill us, right away. For obvious reasons, these are important labels, and generally quite effective.
On cigarettes, it’s clear that if you smoke long enough, you’re going to die, and probably not pleasantly. The warning labels haven’t been nearly as effective as taxes in curbing smoking, but they made the issue clear.
New York State just passed a law requiring labels on social media. Many of the tactics of online networks make people, especially children, unhappy, perhaps for the long term.
Perhaps by highlighting the addictive, manipulative features that cause the most harm, informed consent (or avoidance) will follow.
We probably want to avoid signs like this:
But I’m wondering if a simple, universal symbol could get the job done:
