Overview
- Bill Ready set out the call in a Time op-ed and LinkedIn post, writing that there should be “no social media for teens under 16” with real enforcement and accountability for mobile platforms and apps.
- Ready praised Australia’s under‑16 restriction as a model and cited a broader international shift, with measures announced or advanced in countries including Malaysia, Spain, Indonesia, France and Germany.
- Pinterest says accounts under 16 are private by default and cannot receive messages, comments or likes from strangers, and a spokesperson said the company is not changing those policies.
- Ready argued self‑regulation has failed, likened tech leaders to past tobacco executives, and endorsed the U.S. App Store Accountability Act that would require app stores to verify users’ ages, a bill that has cleared a House committee.
- The intervention lands as a Los Angeles jury deliberates in a case alleging Google and Meta’s platforms fuel a youth mental‑health crisis, while critics warn bans can be evaded and age‑verification regimes may threaten privacy.