California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he wants to pass a statewide law to limit access to social media for youth under 16 years old. Politico reports this.
Newsom's press secretary, Tara Gallegos, explained that the Democratic governor is in favor of introducing restrictions following the example of Australia, which has banned social media registrations for users under 16 starting in 2025. Newsom himself told reporters that the California government “must address the problem” of frequent social media use by teenagers.
“We need help. I think it's time to start discussing this issue. I'm grateful that we are discussing and promoting this issue at the state level,” the governor said at a news conference near San Francisco.
This isn't the first time Newsom has addressed the issue: In January, he questioned whether California could “do more” in the wake of Australia's social media ban.
In February, California lawmakers introduced a bill “establishing age limits for opening or maintaining social media accounts.” Its lead author, Democrat Josh Lowenthal, explained that he and his colleagues consider the optimal age limit to be 16 years old. Newsom has yet to comment on the document they developed.
Advisor to Romanian President Sorin Costrei also spoke out about age restrictions on social media access. He is confident that this measure will be applied in the European Union by the end of this year. It is being discussed by at least three countries – France, Spain and Greece.
In 2025, the European Parliament passed a resolution on social media access for users at least 16 years old, but it was advisory in nature.
