Question

A) Australia recently banned social media for everyone under the age of 16. Should the United States do the same?

B) There’s only so much money available for scientific exploration. Should we prioritize space exploration or ocean exploration?

C) Choose a book, a show, a movie, or a video game and explain why it should be considered art.

D) Should Missouri students be required to pass certain tests, such as the U.S. constitution test and EOC tests in subjects like English II, Biology, and Algebra I, in order to graduate high school?

E) Which animal makes the best pet?

Answer 1

A) Should the United States ban social media for everyone under 16?

Short answer: No — not an outright ban. But stronger regulation and supports are warranted.

Why not a blanket ban
- Constitutional and legal barriers: a nationwide prohibition aimed at speech platforms would face serious First Amendment challenges and likely be narrowed by courts.
- Enforcement problems: age verification at scale is imperfect, can be circumvented, and raises privacy concerns.
- Unintended harms: removing access can isolate kids from peer communication, educational uses, civic engagement, and can drive them to unmoderated or private channels.

What to do instead
- Strengthen protection-focused regulation: require platforms to default to privacy-preserving settings for minors, limit targeted advertising to youth, and mandate safer default algorithms (less addictive design).
- Age-appropriate design and content moderation: require child-first UX, friction on potentially harmful features, and age bands (e.g., 13–15 vs 16–17) rather than one hard line.
- Better verification that preserves privacy: fund development of privacy-preserving age attestation systems so platforms can know age ranges without collecting more data than needed.
- Education and parental supports: scale digital literacy in schools, fund parental tools and guidance, and make mental-health resources accessible.
- Research and pilot programs: fund longitudinal studies and pilot interventions (time limits, reduced recommendation systems) before sweeping bans.

Recommendation: pursue a multi-pronged regulatory and educational approach that reduces harms and protects kids’ rights, rather than an across-the-board under-16 ban.

B) Space exploration or ocean exploration — which should be prioritized?

Answer: Neither should be all-or-nothing; prioritize based on clear goals, but if pressed for near-term societal return, prioritize ocean exploration while maintaining robust space programs.

Reasoning
- Ocean exploration strengths: over 80% of the ocean is poorly mapped/understood. Studying oceans yields immediate benefits for climate modeling (carbon cycles, heat uptake), fisheries and food security, biodiversity conservation, coastal resilience, new medicines and biotechnology, and resources (e.g., methane hydrates, seabed minerals) whose management needs scientific data. Improved ocean data directly affects billions of people now.
- Space exploration strengths: drives technology, long-term science (cosmology, planetary science), planetary defense, satellite infrastructure (communications, Earth observation), and existential insurance (off-Earth habitats). It also inspires STEM education and yields high-tech spin-offs.
- Complementarity: satellite Earth observation is crucial to ocean science; technologies often transfer between fields (robotics, materials, remote sensing).

Recommendation
- Near term: modestly prioritize oceanography funding gaps (seafloor mapping, autonomous vehicles, long-term monitoring, marine biology, carbon sequestration research) because of immediate climate and resource impacts.
- Maintain space investments in critical areas: Earth observation satellites, planetary defense, and flagship science missions with high expected discovery value.
- Use a portfolio approach: allocate funding to both fields proportional to clear metrics (climate impact, economic return, scientific value, risk reduction), and seek joint programs where technologies overlap.

C) Choose one work and explain why it should be considered art

Choice: The video game Journey (Thatgamecompany, 2012).

Why Journey is art
- Intentional aesthetic design: its visuals, color palettes, and environments are crafted to evoke emotion and meaning rather than merely to entertain.
- Expressive use of mechanics: the gameplay (walking, gliding, minimal interaction) is itself a storytelling device that conveys vulnerability, discovery, and transcendence. Mechanics and narrative are inseparable in creating the emotional arc.
- Atmosphere and music: the score and audio design are integral to the experience, shaping pacing and feeling like a symphonic accompaniment to the player’s inner experience.
- Ambiguity and interpretation: Journey invites personal interpretation (themes of life, death, cooperation) rather than prescribing a single didactic message — a hallmark of many forms of art.
- Emotional impact: many players report profound, aesthetic emotional responses comparable to literature, film, and music.

Conclusion: Journey uses a combination of visual composition, musical scoring, narrative structure, and interactive mechanics to produce a distinctive aesthetic experience; that synthesis qualifies it as art.

D) Should Missouri students be required to pass specified tests (U.S. Constitution, EOCs in English II, Biology, Algebra I) to graduate high school?

Balanced answer: Competency requirements are reasonable, but they should be part of a flexible system that includes supports and alternatives.

Pros of required tests
- Ensures minimum civic and academic literacy (civic knowledge has democratic value).
- Standardization helps colleges, employers, and the state know graduates meet baseline skills.
- Highlights importance of core subjects.

Cons and risks
- High-stakes testing can widen inequities: students from under-resourced schools may struggle without adequate support.
- “Teaching to the test” can narrow curriculum.
- Single-day exams may fail to capture student competency (test anxiety, one-off circumstances).

Recommended design
- Require demonstration of competency in key areas (civics, reading/writing, math, science) but allow multiple pathways: passing an exam, completing a state-approved portfolio, successful course grades with validated assessments, industry certifications, or capstone projects.
- Provide free, repeated retakes, remediation programs, summer sessions, and accelerated tutoring for students who fail.
- Keep the constitution/civics test, but ensure it assesses understanding and civic participation (not rote memorization), and embed civics education earlier.
- Monitor equity outcomes and adjust supports where groups are falling behind.

E) Which animal makes the best pet?

Short answer: There’s no single “best” pet — the best pet matches the owner’s lifestyle, preferences, resources, and legal/ethical constraints.

Guidelines to choose
- Dogs: best for people seeking companionship, social interaction, exercise commitment, and training. Require time, space, and financial resources. Great for active single people, families, and those wanting a close bond.
- Cats: lower daily maintenance, good for apartment dwellers and people who want affection with more independence. Less demanding than dogs but still need care and enrichment.
- Small mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters): suitable for limited space and calmer interaction; require specific husbandry and shorter lifespans for some.
- Fish and reptiles: lower social interaction; good for people wanting low-contact pets but require specialized tanks/temperature and long-term care knowledge.
- Birds: intelligent and social but can be noisy and long-lived; need enrichment and socialization.
- Rescue/adoption recommended: adopt from shelters or reputable rescues. Think about lifespan, costs, allergies, local laws (some exotics illegal), and commitment.

If you tell me your living situation, daily schedule, allergies, and what you want from a pet (companionship, low maintenance, kid-friendly), I can recommend the best match.