Pinterest CEO Backs Ban on Social Media for Under‑16s

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has publicly supported an Australian proposal to prohibit social media access for teenagers under 16, and he urged other governments to consider similar rules. In an opinion piece published by Time and cited by Engadget, Ready said "social media, as it’s configured today, is not safe for young people under 16," and called for enforceable standards and accountability for phone operating systems and apps.

Ready is among the more prominent tech leaders to advocate for a broad age-based restriction, even though Pinterest counts a large Gen Z audience among its users. He suggested that the ban need not apply to Pinterest itself. The company already restricts messaging and other interactive features for accounts belonging to teens under 16, and it sets teen profiles to private by default.

Pinterest confirmed it has no plans to loosen those safeguards and reiterated its positioning as a "visual search platform" rather than a conventional social network. Like most platforms, Pinterest does not permit users under 13 to sign up.

The company has faced child-safety scrutiny previously. In 2023, investigative reporting found Pinterest's recommendation systems could surface images and videos of young girls to adults with troubling intent. Pinterest responded by tightening discoverability and privacy for under‑16 accounts, moves Ready points to as evidence that safety-focused policies can coexist with platform growth.

Ready argued that prioritizing user safety builds trust among younger audiences rather than driving them away. His stance raises questions about where regulation should draw lines between different kinds of platforms, how to enforce age limits in practice, and what responsibilities fall to app stores and OS vendors.

As lawmakers and regulators explore new rules for online safety, the conversation around age‑based restrictions and platform design choices is likely to intensify—especially as companies and governments weigh enforcement and technical feasibility.