Vivek Ramaswamy Calls For a Social Media Ban For Under 16s

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing for the implementation of an outright social media ban for under 16s. As shown in a video of a campaign event taken Friday, his premise is that safeguarding children is a duty that transcends party lines. https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/ramaswamy-social-media-923.mp4 Ramaswamy argued that the legal restrictions holding young people back from addictive practices such as smoking until they reach 18 should also apply to the fervent usage of addictive social media platforms. He boldly captioned the video on his social media, urging a decisive “Ban it.” However, banning cigarettes for minors is not the same as banning forms of speech, something that the government is prohibited from getting involved in due to citizens’ First Amendment protections. Courts generally apply a balancing test when evaluating the constitutionality of restrictions on speech, considering both the interests of the government in restricting the speech and the impact of those restrictions on the individuals’ rights to free expression. For minors, this balancing test often involves additional considerations, such as the government’s interest in protecting the welfare of children. But the government must still demonstrate that any restrictions are narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling governmental interest without unnecessarily infringing upon individual liberties. Laws that would ban social media for minors would likely face strong First Amendment challenges, as they could be seen as overly broad or not narrowly tailored to achieve a specific governmental…Vivek Ramaswamy Calls For a Social Media Ban For Under 16s