Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for a ban on social media for young teens — citing his own daughter and her phone-obsessed friends as examples of why a clampdown is needed.
“I had a birthday party just a few weeks ago, with a lot of my daughter’s friends, and I literally stopped everybody because there were seven of them together — all of them on their cell phone at the birthday party, not one of them talking to each other,” Newsom told reporters Thursday.
“We have a generation that’s never been more anxious, less free, more stressed — and we have to address this issue.”
Newsom later confirmed to Politico that he supports “age-gating” restrictions that bar teens under 16 from having social media accounts.
A bipartisan group of California legislators introduced a bill this month to establish minimum age requirements for social media accounts, though the law doesn’t yet specify an age cutoff.
Newsom mentioned countries like Spain that are “moving in this direction.” Australia has already enacted a law that bans children under 16 from maintaining social media accounts.
“I think it’s long overdue that we’re having the debate we’re having now in the legislature, and I’m very grateful the legislature is taking this very seriously,” he said.
Newsom has four children between the ages of 10 and 16 and has shared concerns about children and technology before.
Last year he signed more than a dozen bills related to social media and AI use — including adding social media warning labels, higher penalties for “deepfake” pornography and more.
Meanwhile, fears of social media addiction in youngsters are playing out in the courts.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled Wednesday about social media’s impact on youth at a landmark trial in Los Angeles, where he defended “beauty filters” and other features that critics say can harm children’s wellbeing.
The 20-year-old plaintiff, known by her initials KGM, claimed she became addicted to social media as a child — leading to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta has denied the allegations that the social media platforms were designed to be addictive.
Asked about Instagram, which bans users under 13, Zuckerberg said the company’s policy is clear but enforcement is “difficult.”
“I generally think that there are a set of people, potentially a meaningful number of people who lie about their age in order to use our services. There’s a separate and very important question about enforcement, and it’s very difficult,” he said.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri testified last week, and argued that problematic use of technology is not the same as “clinical addiction.”