Newsom urges social media age limits for children

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the debate over social media age limits is long overdue and said he supports state legislation to restrict access for people under 16.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke Thursday about concerns over children's use of social media and said the debate is long overdue. He raised the issue during a Bay Area news conference and referred to his experience as a parent. Newsom described a recent incident at a birthday party where several youths were focused on phones rather than talking to one another. He said he supports state-level action to limit access for people under 16. Key points: - Newsom said the debate over social media age limits is long overdue and has discussed the issue publicly. - Seven members of the California State Assembly introduced a bipartisan bill to set a minimum age to open or maintain a social media account; the bill does not specify a cutoff age. - Newsom confirmed to Politico that he favors state legislation to restrict access for people under 16, and his spokesperson said he supports age-gating rules modeled on Australia. - Newsom said he discussed the topic with international leaders at recent conferences in Switzerland. Summary: Newsom's comments have focused attention on a bipartisan Assembly bill and on state-level discussion of age-gating for social media platforms. Undetermined at this time.