Kamal Ghorui
Amid rising global push to regulate online platforms for minors due to concerns over addictive algorithms, online bullying and mental health risks, US President Donald Trump has shown a keen “interest” in the idea of restricting social media access for teenagers, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump has revealed.Speaking on the New York Post podcast, Lara Trump said she had discussed research on the psychological effects of social media with the US President and pointed to regulatory moves in countries such as Australia and France.“I see things like what has happened in Australia and what has happened in France, where you have a regulatory body saying, ‘We’re going to wait until these kids are at least a little bit older, 15, 16 years old, in order to at least process a little more what they’re doing in the social media space before they get online,” she told host Miranda Devine on the New York Post podcast. “And I personally would be so in favour of that.”Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump and hosts My View on Fox News, said she is generally wary of government overreach but would support limited action in this area.“I’m not much of one for regulating things, but I would be very happy with a little bit of regulation in this space, just personally as a parent,” she said.She added that she had briefed the President on studies linking screen use to dopamine and oxytocin spikes in children.“When I talk to him about the studies that I’ve read and the way that a kid looks at a screen and their dopamine and their oxytocin and all these feel-good chemicals are firing, and then you take the screen away, and those all go away,” she said, “well, how are they ever going to get back to that in just regular life without a screen? They almost don’t.”According to Lara Trump, the President has shown strong curiosity about the issue, particularly as concerns grow about addictive algorithms and online harms.
Global momentum for teen social media limits
The debate comes as several countries tighten rules for younger users. In 2024, Australia approved landmark legislation setting 16 as the minimum age for holding a social media account, with mandatory age verification and penalties for non-compliant platforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move would make “an enormous difference” in safeguarding children.France now requires parental consent for users under 15 and has examined stronger enforcement tools. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated support for tougher online safety rules, including potential age thresholds for social media use.Trump’s executive actions on social media focused largely on platform moderation and alleged censorship. Ironically, social media has also been central to his political communication strategy, including the launch of Truth Social after he was barred from Twitter (now X) following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.However, there is no formal White House proposal yet to ban social media for teens nationwide.
