US President Donald Trump has shown a strong “interest” in the idea of restricting teenagers’ access to social media amid a global push to regulate online platforms for minors amid concerns about addictive algorithms, cyberbullying and mental health risks, daughter-in-law Laura Trump has revealed.Speaking on the New York Post podcast, Lara Trump said she had discussed research on the psychological impact of social media with the US president and pointed to regulatory initiatives in countries such as Australia and France.“I’m seeing what’s happening in Australia and France, where regulators are saying, ‘We’re going to wait until these kids are at least a little older, 15, 16, to at least deal a little more with what they’re doing in the social media space before they go online,'” she told host Miranda Devine on the New York Post podcast. “I personally am very much in favor of this.”Lara Trump, Eric Trump’s husband and host of “My View on Fox News,” said she was generally wary of government overreach but would support limited action in this area.“I’m not a big fan of regulating things, but I would be happy to have a little regulation in this area, personally, as a parent,” she said.She added that she had briefed the president on research linking screen use to dopamine and oxytocin spikes in children.“When I was talking to him about the research I’d read, and the way kids look at screens, their dopamine, oxytocin, and all these feel-good chemicals get fired up, and then you take the screen away and all of that goes away,” she said. “Well, in a normal life without screens, how do they get back to where they were? They almost don’t.”Lara Trump said the president has shown a strong curiosity about the issue, especially amid growing concerns about addictive algorithms and online harm.
Global momentum on teen social media restrictions
The debate comes as some countries tighten rules for younger users. In 2024, Australia approved landmark legislation setting the minimum age to hold a social media account at 16, making age verification mandatory and penalizing non-compliant platforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move would have a “huge impact” on protecting children.France now requires parental consent for users under 15 and has looked into stronger enforcement tools. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed support for tougher online safety rules, including a potential age threshold for social media use.Trump’s executive actions on social media have focused largely on platform moderation and so-called censorship. Ironically, social media has also been central to his political communications strategy, including the launch of Truth Social after he was banned from Twitter (now X) following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.However, the White House has yet to formally propose a ban on social media use by teenagers across the country.
