Pinterest’s CEO is calling on governments to ban social media for users under the age of 16

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready called on governments to ban social media for users under the age of 16 in a new op-ed for Time magazine.

He is now one of the few top CEOs to have called for such a restriction, as countries around the world begin to implement or consider ways to limit children’s time online, and how to verify their exact ages.

Reddy writes that children today are “living the largest social experiment in history,” given “unlimited access to social media platforms.” Research shows the damage this unfiltered access has done, with today’s youth experiencing increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and decreased concentration skills.

He said social media platforms had not given “enough thought to the consequences” of what they could do to children, and praised Australia’s social media ban on children, saying that “if tech companies fail to prioritize the safety of young people, other governments must follow Australia’s lead.”

He pointed to restrictions and guidelines imposed by industries such as tobacco and alcohol, writing that “such policies can improve, and sometimes save, lives.” He also said Pinterest has been a hit with GenZ, even after blocking access to the site’s social features for users under 16.

“When we make excuses for not acting in the public interest,” he wrote, “technology CEOs look like 20th-century tobacco executives who had to be shamed and prosecuted into submission.”

Apart from Australia, Malaysia, Spain and Indonesia have announced social media bans. The move is stirring controversy within the technology industry, but lawmakers have shown no sign of bowing to pressure. Lawmakers in France have also just agreed to ban users under the age of 15, while Germany’s ruling party said it supports some form of social media ban as well. States across the United States are also looking for ways to restrict minors’ access to social media.