Part 13/17:
State and Local Policy Divergence: California and Denmark
A segment explores Denmark’s proactive move to ban social media access for children under 15, reflecting serious concern over mental health, cyberbullying, and exploitation. The Danish government’s approach involves parental consent procedures and age verification, aiming to shield vulnerable children from social media’s harms.
In contrast, U.S. policymakers have yet to implement similar regulations, despite mounting evidence of social media’s negative impact on youth depression, educational outcomes, and safety. The conversation criticizes politicians for neglecting data-driven policies and highlights successful foreign models like New Zealand’s restrictions as examples to emulate.