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Janette Nesheiwat, Trump’s future health secretary, spoke out in favor of a social media ban for children and young people. Is Trump playing along?
Washington DC – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s chosen health secretary called for a ban on social media for all teenagers and young children in a television appearance in July. In doing so, she advocated one of the most drastic approaches to date in the debate about ensuring children’s online safety.
Janette Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medicine specialist whom Trump selected for the position on Friday, has appeared in her appearances at Fox Newswhere she worked as an expert, has repeatedly criticized the impact of social media on young people. “In my opinion, social media should be for all teenagers and all little ones Kinder banned because they only cause harm,” said Nesheiwat, who, if confirmed by the Senate, will be the nation’s top spokesperson on public issues Health would act.
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Nesheiwat spoke in an interview early on the morning of July 14, just hours after a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, linking social media use to feelings of loneliness and hostility among young people Connection. “Social media has a huge negative impact on all aspects of society, especially our younger generations,” she said.
A full ban goes far beyond the position of current U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Vivek H. Murthy, a prominent figure in the Biden administration’s efforts to improve children’s online safety.
Social media apps on a smartphone (symbolic image). © Jaque Silva/Imago
Calls for social media ban for children and young people from Trump Health Secretary
Murthy published a widely cited advisory last year about the potential risks of social media for teens and in June called on Congress to adopt new labels alerting users to the dangers the platforms could pose. Murthy also said that it is “too early” for children to join sites like Instagram, TikTok and X log in, and suggested that Parents could “team up” to keep teens away from these apps.
However, Murthy did not go so far as to call for a ban on all minors and teenagers on social media, a concept that even the platforms’ harshest critics largely reject. Nesheiwat, former medical director of the emergency provider “CityMD” and since 2020 Fox-Newsemployee, had repeatedly linked the use of social media to various harms over the years. Fox publicist Courtney Ur also revealed that Nesheiwat left the network on Friday after Trump announced her as his nominee.
Top Trump doctor praises Florida law banning creation of social media accounts
In March, Nesheiwat praised a Florida law that bans children under 13 from setting up social media accounts and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental permission to join the sites. She said opposite Fox Newssaid the measure would help protect children from “life-threatening” risks online, such as: E.g. drug sales, sexual predators and cyberbullying.
Other states and some countries, such as Australia, have considered or passed laws that would prevent children and young people from accessing social media. However, many of the states, such as Florida, have proposed giving parents permission for teen use or setting a lower age limit that would not apply to all teens.
In 2022, Nesheiwat said that “fighting” social media was key to combating the opioid epidemic. It was not immediately clear whether she had commented on Murthy’s suggestion that warnings be placed on social media platforms highlighting the potential risks to children.
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There was no response to a request for comment sent to Nesheiwat’s personal website. In a statement, Trump transition spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called Nesheiwat “a brilliant physician who will work alongside President Trump as the next Surgeon General to make America better for all Americans, including our children and younger generations.” to get well again.”
Nesheiwat would not have the power to impose a ban, but as the country’s most prominent doctor, she would have a powerful mouthpiece to speak out on the issue and make her point. Her comments are likely to spark backlash from digital rights advocates and tech industry groups, which have condemned efforts to restrict youth access to social media as an attack on free speech.
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“NetChoice,” a technology trade group whose members include Meta, Google and Amazon filed a lawsuit last month to block Florida’s law on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Federal courts have sided with the group in cases involving state laws restricting children’s access to social media. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the owner of the Washington Post.)
Trump would probably have little interest in Nesheiwat’s proposal
Murthy’s slimmed-down proposal to place a warning from the health minister on social media apps has also drawn criticism from advocates who say he is far ahead of the science in the areas of social media and youth mental health. Murthy’s 2023 public health advisory states that “social media has both positive and negative impacts on children and adolescents.” It is unclear to what extent Nesheiwat’s comments align with President-elect Trump’s views.
Trump has said little about children’s online safety, but he himself owns a social media company and has once again taken ownership of Platform X Elon Musk and said he wanted to save TikTok from a possible federal ban due to separate national security concerns.
Truth Social, owned by Trump Media & Technology Group, states in its terms of service that the platform is “intended for users who are at least 18 years old” and requires that minors obtain permission or be supervised by a parent or guardian to join the site.
To the author
Cristiano Lima-Strong is a technology policy reporter and co-author of The Washington Post’s Tech Brief newsletter, which focuses on the intersection of technology, policy and policy. His reporting focuses on children’s privacy and online safety. He previously served as a senior web producer, breaking news reporter and technology policy reporter for Politico.
We are currently testing machine translations. This article was automatically translated from English into German.
This article was first published in English on November 26, 2024 at the “Washingtonpost.com“ was published – as part of a cooperation, it is now also available in translation to readers of the IPPEN.MEDIA portals.
