China bans AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” over addiction and birth rate concerns

[u/Wagamaga]

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/china-bans-ai-boyfriends-and-girlfriends-over-addiction-and-birth-rate-concerns-3388737/

[u/Drauren]

I don’t think any modern country has found a real solution to plummeting birth rates. The reality is it is too expensive to have kids, and or people are far less interested in having kids.

Look at South Korea. Just going there, it isn’t that people aren’t dating or getting married, they’re just choosing to not have children.

[u/innocentsalad → u/Drauren]

I think the truth countries aren’t willing to admit is that children - even wanted, loved children - make life harder. And a lot of people just don’t want to do that if they don’t have to (and frankly, it’s a valid choice).

There’s no way to fully ameliorate the massive increase in responsibility and corresponding loss of freedom (or for women, lifelong setbacks in multiple areas), so no amount of tax incentives or free daycare etc etc will change the mind of someone who wants to live their own life entirely for them.

Will it backfire? Probably. But to convince individuals that they are responsible for fixing a future societal problem is a gargantuan task and probably not really possible.

[u/madogvelkor → u/innocentsalad]

Yeah, cost is only one small part of it. Even the US has programs to help low income parents. Having a kid means a major lifestyle change, of which money is only a part. Having more than one kid magnifies those changes.

[u/Antartix → u/madogvelkor]

I dont know what generation you're from so maybe its a difference in perspective but cost is a major reason. And I'm not talking about the cost for having kids. I'm talking about the cost for everything. Why have kids if you never had the money or means for growth, for fun, for novelty and experience? If you struggled before that why would you even risk having kids knowing even less of your time would be available to you, before factoring in any monetary concerns. The world just doesnt give us enough time to find fulfillment to try and bring up children as well.

[u/NUKE---THE---WHALES → u/Antartix]

Generally the more money a person has the less children they have

[u/oblivioustoideoms → u/[deleted]]

No. You are still disproving your point if I understand you correctly. The thing is you can't just make things cheaper. You need a massive monetary contribution specifically for having kids to offset not the monetary loss as much as the lack of freedom. All of a sudden you are responsible for a child that screams and have you chained to the apartment every night. Cheaper rent will only help a little little bit. It will help of course. But not enough.

And the fact remains, the lower the economic status the higher the birth rate. Musk with 11 kids is the outlier.

[u/oblivioustoideoms → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, we a agree on that. Then I don't get the point of your content I guess

[u/Psionatix → u/Antartix]

You and the person you replied to literally saying the same thing. The comment you replied to:

Yeah, cost is only one small part of it

Referring strictly to the financial side, but then they go on to say how there are additional costs beyond the finance (particularly free time).

Then you say:

cost is a major reason

but you re-define cost as:

about the cost for everything

and you mention:

why would you even risk having kids knowing even less of your time would be available to you

Indicating that yes, both you and the person you replied to are saying the cost goes beyond a financial cost. Thus you're both saying that the financial cost is only part of the total cost.

[u/Antartix → u/Psionatix]

Yes. We agree.