Federal Trade Commission’s Alvaro Bedoya says laws to keep teens off social media won’t work

As government officials increasingly scrutinize how digital platforms may harm kids, a growing number of states are proposing sweeping restrictions to limit their access to social media. But a top federal enforcer active on kids’ safety issues said that he opposes such limits, arguing they are unlikely to work and may run afoul of the Constitution. “Meet a teenager, they will find a way to get around that,” said Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. He has called children’s online safety a top priority since joining the FTC in 2022 and has played a key role in the federal government’s response to the issue. Since he joined the agency, the FTC has struck landmark settlements with video game developer Epic Games over allegations the company deployed deceptive designs to trick consumers. In addition, the agency has proposed a sweeping plan to bar tech giant Meta from monetizing children’s data. Commissioner Bedoya said he supports legislation banning targeted ads to kids, something lawmakers on Capitol Hill have proposed.