Rahm Emanuel says U.S. should follow Australia’s youth social media ban

Rahm Emanuel, who is considering running for president, is pushing for the United States to follow Australia’s lead in banning most social media use by children under 16.

Addictive nature of social media apps and officials alarmed health Emanuel wants to increase public pressure on American lawmakers to restrict access to some of the world’s most popular platforms, considering the risks and security risks for young users.

Somewhat ironically, the potential 2028 White House hopeful plans to release his call to action on Tuesday. Australia’s ban comes into effectIt’s a video the Democrat will post on his social media accounts, according to plans he first shared with POLITICO.

“We have to make a choice when it comes to our teenagers: Who is going to be some kind of moral guide? I put my thumb up for algorithms for adults,” Emanuel said in an interview, accusing Big Tech of prioritizing profit over “protecting our teenagers.”

It’s the latest in a series of policy stances Emanuel has sharpened as the former ambassador, who worked for three Democratic presidents and became mayor of Chicago, echoes his party’s messaging. education with public security Ahead of a critical by-election.

It also comes as Democrats embrace social media influencers and encourage political leaders and candidates to spend more time online to promote their messages and reach young voters.

But Emanuel sees these as separate issues; A public health problem affecting adolescents with a selection strategy targeting adults over 18 years of age. He compared solving this to the steps he took as mayor to prevent young people from smoking. Raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products. And he suggested lawmakers start by targeting three of them. Most popular apps among US teens — TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.

“We cannot lose another generation to inaction or political gridlock,” he said.

Emanuel appears to take a tougher stance on young people’s access to social media than some of his likely rivals for the Democratic nomination. The Big Tech lobby fiercely opposes the effort. regulating who has access to their platforms, claiming that it violates freedom of expression. As a candidate, she also received donations from tech giants like Eric Schmidt and Sheryl Sandberg.

When asked about these contributions, he said his stance showed that he was now independent of these companies.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that social media platforms will be closed this fall. Show health warning labels to little ones and it needs applications to check the ages of children. Both Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have spoken out about the impact of social media on children’s mental health.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a “Kids Act” last year aimed at limiting the data tech companies can collect from children, but mired in a legal battle. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation in 2023 that: ensuring compensation for children to appear in online content.

“Anything that allows us to focus on improving academic standards and protecting our children on a public health basis will be a priority,” Emanuel said when asked whether the proposed social media ban would be key to his platform if he runs for president.

of Australia The first social media ban in the world designed for restricting access to major social media platforms Including Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for children under 16. And it’s threatening its parent companies with tens of millions of dollars in fines if they don’t take “reasonable steps” to block youth access. Technology companies had protested the measure for rushing it. “short-sighted” And defended “will not deliver on its promise to make children safer online.” But their has already started deactivate accounts.

There is support for a similar ban in the United States. Approximately six in 10 voters Quinnipiac University survey A survey conducted in late 2024 said they would like to see similar age restrictions, but support was lower among 18- to 34-year-olds. POLITICO-Citrin Center-Probability Lab survey 45 percent of registered California voters support banning social media for children under 16.

A bipartisan group of senators, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has made children’s online safety an issue that politicians see as positioning for another White House run in 2028. The most important part of the task of chairing the panel oversees social media – introduced a bill at the beginning of this year Banning children under 13 from social media. Emanuel said the legislation has the “right impetus.”

another one bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a bill This would require social media companies to remove features that could have negative effects on young people’s mental health. The bill passed the Senate 91-3 last year but stalled in the House. The two chambers disagreed over details.

In the midst of congressional impasse, Primarily a patchwork of red states passed laws Trying to limit children’s access to social media by asking for parental permission and imposing digital curfews. But these efforts met with resistance industry groups Meta represents tech giants like Alphabet and Snapchat and is largely blocked with courts.

Still, last month a divided panel of appellate judges gave Florida permission to begin enforce a law That law, signed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, a onetime presidential candidate, bans children under 14 from using most social media platforms and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. DeSantis, who could make another bid at the White House in 2028 I salute the law as a way to protect children from online predators.

Emanuel acknowledged the steep legal challenges a blanket social media ban could face. But he said framing the crackdown as combating “a technology-related public health problem” rather than the technology itself was potentially a “winning argument.”

Tyler Katzenberger, Andrew Atterbury and Shia Kapos contributed to this report.