Pinterest CEO calls on governments to ban social media for users under 16

Pinterest’s CEO, Bill Ready, has called for governments to ban social media for users under 16 in a new Time op-ed.

He’s now one of the few top CEOs to call for such a restriction, as nations worldwide begin to implement or consider ways to limit children’s online time, and exactly how to verify ages. 

Ready wrote that children today were “living through the largest social experiment in history,” as they have been given “unfiltered access to social media platforms.” Research shows the damage this unfiltered access has done, with today’s youth seeing increased rates of depression, anxiety, and lower concentration skills. 

He said social media platforms gave “insufficient forethought about the consequences” of what they could do to children, and praised Australia’s social media ban for children, saying that “if tech companies fail to prioritize youth safety, other governments should follow Australia’s lead.”

He pointed out the restrictions and guidelines industries like tobacco and alcohol have, writing that “such policies can improve, and sometimes save lives.” He also said Pinterest has been successful with Gen Z, even after banning access to the site’s social features to users under age 16.

“When we make excuses for not acting in the public’s best interest, tech CEOs sound like 20th-century tobacco executives who had to be shamed and sued into submission,” he wrote.

Aside from Australia, Malaysia, Spain, and Indonesia have all announced social media bans. The movement is sparking debate within the tech industry, but lawmakers have shown no sign of bowing to pressure. Legislators in France also just approved a ban for users under 15, while Germany’s ruling party said it supported a form of social media ban, too. States throughout the U.S. are also looking at ways to restrict minors’ access to social media.