Pinterest CEO Bill Ready urges governments to restrict youth access

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has publicly called for governments to ban social media for users under 16. In a newly published op-ed, Ready asserted that children today are living through the largest social experiment in history due to unfiltered access to social media platforms. He argued that technology companies gave insufficient forethought about the consequences of their platforms on children, and he urged governments to step in with mandatory age limits as nations worldwide begin to implement or consider ways to limit children’s online time and verify user ages.

Ready pointed to research showing the damage this unfiltered access has done to younger demographics. Unfiltered access to social media has caused increased rates of depression, anxiety, and lower concentration skills in youth. To address these issues, Ready praised Australia’s recent implementation of a social media ban for children, stating that if tech companies fail to prioritize youth safety, other governments should follow Australia’s lead on safety. He compared the situation to other regulated consumer sectors, noting that guidelines and restrictions in industries like tobacco and alcohol show that such policies can improve, and sometimes save lives.

The executive also noted that platforms can remain successful even when implementing stricter safety rules. He pointed out that Pinterest has been successful with Gen Z—the demographic born roughly 1997 to 2012—even after banning access to the site’s social features for users under age 16. Ready criticized other technology industry leaders who resist external oversight. “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,” said Ready, the CEO of Pinterest.

The debate over youth access is accelerating worldwide, with lawmakers showing no sign of bowing to industry pressure. Beyond Australia, governments in Malaysia, Spain, and Indonesia have all announced their own social media bans. Legislators in France recently approved a social media ban for users under 15, while Germany’s ruling party has stated that it supports a form of social media ban. Meanwhile, individual states throughout the U.S. are actively looking at ways to restrict minors’ access to social media platforms.

Why it matters

Ready’s stance marks a rare instance of a tech CEO advocating for strict government regulation, signaling a potential shift in how platforms approach youth safety and liability.