'Not safe for kids': Social media apps should be banned for teenagers, says Pinterest CEO

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has called for global governments to ban the use of social media platforms for children under 16.

"As both a CEO and a parent, I believe we need to be honest: social media as it exists today is not safe for kids under 16. I believe this debate should push our industry to raise the bar on teen safety and well-being. At Pinterest, we’ve seen that protecting young people and building a strong business are not at odds. They can and should go together. We need clearer rules, better tools for parents, and more accountability across the tech ecosystem," Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest, said on his LinkedIn page.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic around early 2020, short video sharing platforms became popular among both young and old. As people were locked in their homes, TikTok and Instagram Reels became a major source of entertainment, and excessive media consumption for hours on phones became addictive among children.

Recent studies revealed that watching such videos continuously takes a toll on mental well-being, especially among kids and adolescents. There is now a medical term for it, called Brain Rot, which is described as diminished cognitive function. With reduced attention span, children are finding it hard to retain information in their minds, which affects their grades in school.

Due to the severity of the issue, Australia in late 2025 became the first global nation to ban the use of social media apps for children under the age of 16. Several others, including France and Norway, have announced similar sanctions on such mobile applications.

Here in India, too, the Karnataka state government announced a ban on social media apps for children.

"With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16," said CM Siddaramaiah.

That said. The real authority to restrict underage children from using smartphones lies with the parents, and they must be willing to take firm, responsible decisions.