Legal systems are constantly changing. You can count on one thing: as time goes by and societal norms shift, the laws that govern us will also be altered to adapt to a different era. And many people are fairly optimistic. They hope that new laws will create a better, brighter, safer future for everyone.
Redditor u/seesnawsnappy sparked an interesting discussion about what the future of our planet might look like. They asked everyone to share their thoughts on the things that are legal now that might not be in the future, and many of the answers really make you think about what needs to be improved. We’ve collected some of the most interesting insights, so scroll down to check them.
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Hopefully there will be legal restrictions on influencers using their children to make money. As far as I know, there’s nothing in place now that protects these kids like there would be if they were on a tv set.
Marrying minors.
The only problem with this is that different countries have different definitions of what a minor is.
Change, real positive change, takes a very long time to ‘stick.’ It’s not a given that the laws that govern society will automatically get better and better. Progress isn’t a given. If you want a specific outcome, you have to fight for it. Changing laws and institutions for the better often takes years, if not decades, of dedication, perseverance, and compromise.
First, you must define what ‘better’ and ‘progress’ might mean for you and society. While one individual might value economic progress and scientific innovations, another might see harmony with nature as a sign of a truly advanced and empathetic civilization.
Moreover, even though international law exists, one nation’s laws can be very much at odds with another’s. Progress (however you choose to define it) in one geographical place and one era isn’t guaranteed elsewhere and during another time period.
Hopefully, declawing cats for non-medical reasons. It’s highly discouraged nearly everywhere and states are starting to ban it.
Prolonging suffering in patients kept artificially alive, with no hope of a meaningful recovery, by guilty family members.
Oh and for profit healthcare.
There are so many areas where you can potentially make improvements to the legal system that it can feel utterly overwhelming. Where do you start?
Do you prioritize the fight to protect the environment and push back against climate change? Or do you go for social justice first?
Do you dedicate your resources to changing and improving society’s perspective on mental and physical health? Do you fight for greater transparency in politics and business? Or do you focus on what’s new, fresh, and what seemingly everyone’s talking about? E.g., creating better regulations and building a framework to protect workers from potentially losing their jobs in the future due to developments in the artificial intelligence and machine learning fields?
Companies holding onto your information FOREVER. There needs to be a "right to forget" rule for ISPs, google, websites etc.
Puppy mills/domestic pet breeding in the US without proper licenses and regulations.
Presidential immunity.
As originally envisaged (as I understand it anyway, apologies if wrong) presidential immunity wasn't supposed to be a get-out-of-jail-free card for any act ever committed by anyone who was ever president.
While some laws have good intentions, they don’t always align with science. The BBC reports that New York recently passed a law on regulating “addictive” social media feeds for kids: the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. The point of the law is to protect children from the dangers of the online world. The idea is that from 2025 onwards, parental consent will be required before kids under 18 years of age can use apps with “addictive feeds.” In other words, it’s an attempt to push back against algorithmic recommendations in social media app feeds, which can hook users in.
Furthermore, the law aims to prevent apps from sending kids notifications between midnight and 6 am. Also, better age verification will be required, while kids will also be protected from having their personal data collected.
However, as the BBC points out, the science regarding social media use isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem. While some warn that social media (over)use can be very damaging to people’s mental and emotional health, other researchers note that moderate use can have a positive effect.
Corporations buying up family homes as income streams.
These greedy slimes are turning millions of people into perma-rents who can't afford homes - and if they can, get denied mortgages even if the monthly payment is lower than the rent they are currently paying.
Those really bright headlights in cars.
It's them flashy lights on top of some vehicles that really annoy me, I always do my best to ignore them.
What do you think might become illegal in the far-off future, Pandas? Are you optimistic about the way things are changing or do you think the legal system might work against your interests? What do you personally think legal and social progress looks like? Share your opinions in the comments.
Not having safe staffing ratios in all medical facilities. A nurse to patient ratio in ltc of 1:40 is not safe.
My mom works night shifts in the mom and baby unit at my nearby hospital. She says even three to four patients require a ton of maintenance.
Posting your child’s entire life on a social media app.
When I was eight, my dad took a video of me crying without my permission, then posted it on social media. He was imitating me crying in the video, too. Also, IORN, I knew exactly what social media was and what he was doing, as he'd been abusing me like this since I was three. I'm writing this at fourteen years old in my dad's basement (Technically it's my stepmom's, he's already divorced two times but just got remarried... again.) on my school Chromebook at 12:45 in the morning because I can't sleep because my dad won't give me the proper medication I need for sleep. I've been trying to research ways to forgive my dad and not be mad at him for the continual abuse, the hospitalizations (AKA prison), and the fact that he caused me to attempt suicide once, and almost again the other day and at this point I think I might drop out of school. So, IORN, please don't talk about things YOU don't understand. Thanks to those who commented as you guys have given me more therapy in one comment than my psychologist has in my seven years of seeing him. It's nice to see there's still some good in this world.
Children’s “reform” camps, treatment centers, wilderness programs, etc.
Hundreds, if not *thousands* of “troubled” children have been sent to these camps only to be abused in various ways by the adults that are responsible for them. I’m surprised they’re not outlawed even now, but I guess I shouldn’t be given that it’s an entire industry based on exploiting children that need help.
As someone who was sent to both a wilderness program and a treatment center without any actual problems that needed treatment (no d***s or alcohol, I wasn't in an abusive relationship, I just became a teenager) these can be helpful for some, but they really need more regulation and oversight.
Single use plastic (I hope).
Making deepfake AI p**n of other people without their consent.
I know some places have passed laws already, but I think it will be illegal almost everywhere after 25 years.
Long before AI, people were doing simple photoshoping fakes and hardly anyone did anything about it. I doubt they would in the future. Even if it's illegal, it would barely be enforced. The only times where it is enforced is when someone is actively going out of their way to make it public - like making a fake video of a woman then intentionally sending it to all her friends, family colleagues etc.
Conversion therapy, it's outlawed in a lot of places, but there's still a lot that need to catch up.
Tanning Beds. I cannot fathom why they are legal now.
Tbf- although I don't condone tanning, I live in Michigan and during our winter months there is an actual epidemic of chronic low vitamin D due to lack of sunlight. And unfortunately there are also people who cannot absorb vitamin D through supplements effectively as well. Currently I am on 50,000 IU vitamin D pills and it's only September. I'm hoping I can keep my levels up through the winter. When it drops to low levels it's very painful because it greatly affects bone strength. I still do not use tanning beds, but for this reason alone I can see them being medically beneficial. But they should not be used solely for aesthetic purposes.
I honestly can’t believe I can buy an ebike that can go 60 mph and drive it on the road, sidewalk or on bike paths and cops cant do anything about it because it’s technically a bicycle.
Where I live, anything that goes beyond 25 km/h is considered a motor vehicle. That's why e-bikes are limited to power you up to that speed and if you want to go faster you need to use your muscles only. Those bikes that can go faster need a registration and a small license plate.
Prescription d***s advertising, hopefully...
Exactly. If I want to try a new medication, I'll talk to my doctor. I don't need irrelevant medication ads popping up everywhere.
Sirens in radio ads.
Lawn treatment that poisons the ground so much so they require signs warning people and dogs. .
HOAs, hopefully.
when looking for a house. a HOA would be an automatic deal-breaker for me.
Not having your kids vaccinated. ^(Hopefully).
In very rare cases, people have allergies to the vaccines. However, this should be the ONLY exception to vaccinations.
Ancestry companies selling your DNA data.
Everyone who has ever sent some spit to ancestry dot com or 23 n Me or any other one of those ancestry tracking companies has had all the data in their DNA sold to big businesses and law enforcement.
It's how they caught the golden state killer. His nephew was tracking his genealogy and was a match to a crime scene. I'm ok with catching killers but where will we draw the line in the future? Imagine getting busted for littering because your cousin's DNA matched some gum you spat out.
And insurance companies are buying DNA data in bulk. If they know a certain gene makes you more likely to have a disease, and a large group of people with that gene live in a certain area, they can set insurance coverage and premiums based on that info to screw you.
There is zero regulation on what these genealogy sites do with your DNA. This is only the beginning.
Recruitment ghosting. I mean if Australia can make a law saying you don't have to answer work emails after work, anything is possible.
Taking photos and videos of people without their permission and using them however you want.
These laws were made for a world where everyone didn't have a high quality camera in their pocket and access to a global audience at the click of a button.
Here in Germany it is already illegal to take pictures of someone in public, much less film them. You have the rights to your own face at all time.
A lot of AI generated content.
If I'm hopeful, all of the horrendous s**t they put in our food.
Social media for children, hopefully. Its extreme negative impacts on mental health are undeniable.
I hope payday loans and rent to own things are illegal soon. It’s all predatory and targeted at poor, uneducated populations. People who run these businesses are the scum of the earth imo.
I get it but sometimes you need a mattress and your only option is rent to own. I won't do it again because I have better options now.
The massive amounts of personal data collection companies do so that they can resell it. Some companies have endless "job openings" not because they have a job to fill, but because by applying you give them the right to resell your personal information and data. You're literally handing them money rather than applying for a job.
Then the companies they sell to have next to zero security and do who knows what with it.
Stuff like that is out of control, but hopefully will get locked down in the next decade.
Not here in Germany, because we have laws against such practices.
Free water. Looking at you Nestle.
Nestle are an evil company, but it is very hard to boycott them as they make so many products over a wide range under a number of brand names.
Corporate lobbying might be heavily regulated or banned as people push for fairer representation.
You don't have enough money to fight against this. They can by your representative and you can't.
Buying a drone without a license.
In the USA drones are classified as aircraft. Interfering with them is a federal crime. They also communicate electronically which , if is intercepted & modified, violates federal electronic communications laws. Even if law enforcement intercept them, they’re violating DOT/FAA laws and wiretapping laws. They’d need a warrant with probable cause to take one down in unregulated airspace. To get the warrant, they’d need to catch the drone breaking the law in realtime, file with a judge then return to the flying drone to intercept. Because of this drones can be used to traffic d***s & contraband or even be used to harm or assassinate. That they can be preprogrammed is GPS makes it hard to impossible to catch the actual perpetrators of these crimes. They’re prob one of the biggest under-regulated threats emerging to individual & public safety. Just ask Serbian gang members, Mexican cartels & Ukrainian soldiers. They’ve all figured out how to manipulate personal drones.
Obvious pyramid schemes?
Owning your own property. Theyll call it a subscription... And you'll never own it. Just rent it forever from the rich who own everything.
Even if you pay it off, you are not really owning it. You have to pay taxes on it. If you don't the government can seize it.
Resin 3D printing. Right now you can order bottles of the stuff on Amazon, but UV resin is highly toxic and poorly studied, and can really mess up aquatic life if dumped down the drain. As it gets more popular I wouldn't be surprised if it became a controlled chemical substance.
Reality TV - not illegal, but a lot more regulations are needed to be done there. There needs to be a lot more psychological care options for people before, during and after the show. Then there are issues that people got screwed by production, like people houses getting ruined in renovation shows or contestants getting stuck with massive medical bills like some ANTM contestants. Reality TV contestants should be treated like any other employees and their employers should act responsibly towards them.
Filming an active crime/ accident and doing nothing to help the person in need.
AI generated images and text. If not made illegal, at least heavily regulated.
Religions not being taxed. Also, free schooling and free health care - partially paid for from these taxes.
What gets criminalized depends a lot on whether it's democracy or dictatorship, whether capitalism becomes regulated or gets worse. The first two WILL happen, the others I want to happen. (1) ALL smoking. It should have been banned in the 1980s when tobacco companies were forced to admit they know it's addictive. (2) Private cars. Public transit and international rail will become the norm out of necessity and lack of oil. (3) Tax exemptions are banned. Make the rich pay the billions they owe. This also applies to religious cults, none of them should be tax exempt. (4) "Incorporation" is banned or legal exemption by incorporation is banned. Shareholders and CEOs in companies should be held criminally responsible for things their companies do - prison, execution, etc. (5) Criminal exemption for ANYONE - politicians, cops, judges and others who commit crimes should be held to a HIGHER standard and face more severe punishment for the same crime that civilians are.
I feel like I have seen this exact list somewhere (before you say it, not reddit because I don't have reddit)
Reality TV - not illegal, but a lot more regulations are needed to be done there. There needs to be a lot more psychological care options for people before, during and after the show. Then there are issues that people got screwed by production, like people houses getting ruined in renovation shows or contestants getting stuck with massive medical bills like some ANTM contestants. Reality TV contestants should be treated like any other employees and their employers should act responsibly towards them.
Filming an active crime/ accident and doing nothing to help the person in need.
AI generated images and text. If not made illegal, at least heavily regulated.
Religions not being taxed. Also, free schooling and free health care - partially paid for from these taxes.
What gets criminalized depends a lot on whether it's democracy or dictatorship, whether capitalism becomes regulated or gets worse. The first two WILL happen, the others I want to happen. (1) ALL smoking. It should have been banned in the 1980s when tobacco companies were forced to admit they know it's addictive. (2) Private cars. Public transit and international rail will become the norm out of necessity and lack of oil. (3) Tax exemptions are banned. Make the rich pay the billions they owe. This also applies to religious cults, none of them should be tax exempt. (4) "Incorporation" is banned or legal exemption by incorporation is banned. Shareholders and CEOs in companies should be held criminally responsible for things their companies do - prison, execution, etc. (5) Criminal exemption for ANYONE - politicians, cops, judges and others who commit crimes should be held to a HIGHER standard and face more severe punishment for the same crime that civilians are.
I feel like I have seen this exact list somewhere (before you say it, not reddit because I don't have reddit)