The better way only exists for individuals, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Those who struggle in this way must find their own resolution.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I don’t think we need to solve the problem for folks, just acknowledge that they don’t have to expose themselves to content that they can’t handle.

I don’t agree that a totalizing solution is necessary or even possible, nor do I believe that any particular prescription or prohibition is more likely than the other to work for all times and places for all possible people. Should we stand on ceremony until a perfect solution presents itself? That seems just as unlikely to happen in any given timeline as any other solution applying to all of humanity.

In the meantime, if a solution presents itself, it’s only reasonable to try to implement it, such as avoiding Shorts on YouTube, or even blocking them entirely. Just as we should let folks like things, such as junk food, we should also stock their larders with good food in order to make sure their nutritional needs are being met. Folks who want to make a positive impact on their health are not tilting at windmills, and those who struggle to defeat giants are not blameworthy for not being able to. The struggle is real, but the solution to the struggle may not exist in universal human terms. Perhaps every solution must be tailored to the individual needs of each person, but generalized advice is still a good hedge against the tendency of habits to be subverted by advertisers and ne’er-do-wells.