在社交网站上给热帖点赞是再平常不过的一件事了，然而最近英国有一项新规提议，未满18岁的用户将不能在脸书及Instagram等社交媒体上给喜欢的帖子点赞，以使他们免遭社交网络带来的负面影响。

这对于“点赞党”来说，可是个坏消息。

Instagram and Facebook likes could be banned for young people, under new rules that attempt to protect children's safety on the internet.

英国出台保护未成年人网络安全新规定，今后未成年人将不能在Ins和脸书上点赞。

A new report from the British Information Commissioner's Office suggests that those features and other techniques that "nudge" users into engaging with the site should be switched off. The features encourage them to stay online longer and so could damage their well being, the major report suggests.

英国信息专员办公室的一份最新报告建议，这些迫使用户沉迷于社交网络的功能和其他技术应向未成年人关闭。这些网络功能鼓励未成年人花更多时间上网，对身心健康不利。

The report also suggests that such features should be banned entirely on websites that can't be sure whether or not their users are under-18. The suggested rules on likes are just one of a whole range of wide-ranging changes to the way social media sites could work.

这份报告还建议说，如果网站无法确定使用者的年龄是否小于18岁，应全面禁止这些功能。关于社交网站点赞的规定只是一系列社交网络新规的一部分。

The changes have already been attacked by critics who suggested they were patronizing and could end with everyone being treated as children.

这些新规被批评人士抨击，他们认为这些规定是在监视所有人，最终会导致每个人都被当做儿童一样对待。

The code, which begins its consultation process on Monday and is hailed as an international benchmark, suggests 16 standards that online services must meet.

这项准则提出了16项互联网服务必须遵守的标准，被视为国际性参考准则，在本周一进入咨询程序。

These include that settings must be set to "high privacy" by default without a compelling reason and that only the minimum amount of personal data should be collected.

其中包括，在没有不可抗拒的理由的情况下，社交媒体的默认设置必须是“高度隐私”等级，且只能收集用户最少量的个人信息。

by default：默认情况下

Nudge techniques should also not be used to encourage children to turn off privacy techniques or provide unnecessary personal data, the code says.

另外，社交网络不得使用推送技术来鼓励儿童关闭隐私功能，或提供不必要的个人信息。

nudge[nʌdʒ]：n.推动；没完没了抱怨的人

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said: "This is the connected generation. The internet and all its wonders are hardwired into their everyday lives.

信息专员伊丽莎白-德汉姆说：“这是互联的一代，互联网及其吸引人的产品与他们的日常生活密不可分。”

"We shouldn't have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do. This code does that."

“我们不应该禁止孩子们使用互联网，但我们必须要求他们在上网时受到保护。这一准则就是为了这个目的出台的。”

Welcoming the proposals, the NSPCC said social networks had "continually failed to prioritize child safety in their design" resulting in "tragic consequences".

英国全国防止虐待儿童学会对这项提议表示欢迎，并称社交网络“一直没能在设计中优先考虑儿童安全”，导致“悲剧性后果”。

"That's why it is vital this code requires children to be given the highest privacy settings by default and forces firms to act in the best interest of children," the charity's associate head of child safety online, Andy Burrows, said.

该学会儿童网络安全副部长安迪-巴罗斯说：“这也是为什么新规要求儿童有最高等级的默认隐私设置如此重要，这促使各公司的产品符合儿童的最大利益。”

Beeban Kidron, chairwoman of the 5Rights Foundation, said the code represents "the beginning of a new deal between children and the tech sector".

5权利基金会的主席比班-基德龙说，这一新规代表着“儿童与科技公司之间‘新政’的开端。”

"For too long we have failed to recognize children's rights and needs online, with tragic outcomes," she said.

她说：“长久以来，我们都忽视了儿童的网络权利和需求，导致了悲剧性的后果。”

"I firmly believe in the power of technology to transform lives, be a force for good and rise to the challenge of promoting the rights and safety of our children.

“我坚信科技改变生活的力量，这是一种向好的力量，能应对提升儿童权利和安全的挑战。”

"But in order to fulfill that role, it must consider the best interests of children, not simply its own commercial interests.

“但为了实现这个目标，必须要考虑孩子们的最大利益，而不是仅仅考虑商业利益。”

"That is what the code will require online services to do. This is a systemic change."

“这也是新规要求互联网公司去做的，这是一个系统性的改变。”

The ICO's draft code was not universally welcomed, with the Adam Smith Institute saying it should be up to parents to keep their children safe online.

英国信息专员办公室的这项草案也受到一些非议，亚当斯密协会称，保证孩子的网络安全是家长的责任。

The think tank's head of research, Matthew Lesh, criticized the proposal to set privacy settings at their highest by default.

这家智库的研究负责人马修-乐什批评了设置隐私默认最高等级的建议。

He said: "The ICO is an unelected quango introducing draconian limitations on the internet with the threat of massive fines.

他说：“英国信息专员办公室是一家未经选举产生的半官方机构，却以巨额罚款为威胁引入如此严苛的网络限制。”

quango ['kwæŋɡo]：n.半官方机构

draconian[drə'konɪən]：adj.严厉的，苛刻的

"It is ridiculous to infantilize people and treat everyone as children."

“把每个人都当小孩子一样看待极其愚蠢。”

infantilize[ɪn'fæntɪlaɪz]：vt.使幼儿化；将当作幼儿对待

The consultation is out until May 31 and the final version is expected to come into effect by 2020.

咨询期将至5月31日截止，最终版规定将在2020年开始实施。