Fear of Others' Liberty (FOOL)

People sometimes support government limits not because they personally need the constraint but because restricting others' freedom makes their own choices easier or safer. That social motive—FOOL—explains why parents might prefer universal bans on kids’ phones rather than private parental controls. — Recognizing FOOL shifts responsibility debates: many calls for regulation are less about fixing market failures and more about changing social coordination and peer norms via state power.

Sources

Why Americans think other Americans are bad people

Jerusalem Demsas 2026.03.13 60% relevant

The piece grapples with a civic-level worry about social others (Americans judging fellow citizens 'bad') which maps onto the FOOL concept of fear/resentment of others' freedoms as a political force; Demsas uses survey evidence to argue that xenophobia/diversity explanations for low trust are backwards, reframing what drives those fears.

The FOOL behind cell phone bans for kids

Arnold Kling 2026.03.04 100% relevant

Arnold Kling’s March 2026 column argues parents want government bans on children’s phone/social‑media use because it makes it easier for families (the ‘Smiths’) to justify restricting their own kids and relieves fear about other children’s behavior.