I've done some work in game design, so I see it as a game design problem. I wouldn't introduce censorship or banning, but perhaps creating more systems to create friction around what the community decides are negative behaviors.

In games, new users are sandboxed, and features are gradually unlocked as they are earned. That also usually involves learning more about how the game mechanics work too.

Again, as a relative newbie, I too could benefit from more of a first-time Steemit user onboarding experience.