Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Whether leaderboard ad sticky behavior is disabled

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show expanded byline information on articles

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

Show NLP summaries collection recirc on article pages

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Show the Balance of Power component on the new Election subnav component

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Enable new Elections subnav on Site pages

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

If true, will use a spoofed user agent to scrape and summarize content from paywalled sources

flip back to old full page reload when new updates come in

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Trump Campaign

Big Tech news and how to take control of your data and devices

See more on this topic in your recommendations

Technology

Tips delivered to your inbox twice weekly

The Tech Friend newsletter

Technology alerts

Business and Tech alerts

Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House

Politics

Make sense of political news -- fast. Sent daily.

The 5-Minute Fix newsletter

Politics alerts

Happy Tuesday! Thanksgiving is so close that I can smell the gravy. Send news tips and your favorite turkey day side dishes to: <a href="mailto:cristiano.lima@washpost.com" target=_blank>cristiano.lima@washpost.com</a>. Today:

Trump’s surgeon general pick called for banning social media for teens

George Walker IV

President-elect Donald Trump’s surgeon general choice called for banning social media for all teenagers and young children in a July TV appearance, staking out support for one of the most drastic approaches put forward in the debate over securing kids’ online safety.

Janette Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medicine physician whom Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/22/marty-makary-fda-trump/" target=_blank>selected for the role Friday</a>, has repeatedly assailed social media’s impact on youth in her appearances on Fox News, where she has been a contributor, according to a review by the Tech Brief.

“In my opinion, I think social media should be banned to all teenagers, to all young children, because it’s done nothing but harm,” said Nesheiwat, who if confirmed by the Senate would serve as the nation’s top spokesperson on public health issues.

Nesheiwat, speaking <a href="https://archive.org/details/FOXNEWSW_20240714_050000_Life_Liberty__Levin/start/3063/end/3123?q=janette+nesheiwat+social+media" target=_blank>during an interview</a> early on July 14 just hours after a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, linked social media use to feelings of loneliness and hostility among young people. “Social media has had a tremendous negative impact on all aspects of society, especially our younger generations,” she said.

An outright ban goes well beyond the position of the current U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, a prominent figure in the Biden administration’s efforts to improve children’s safety online.

Murthy last year released a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/05/23/social-media-surgeon-general-youth-health-risk/" target=_blank>widely cited advisory</a> on social media’s potential risks to youth and in June urged Congress to pass new labels alerting users of the dangers platforms might pose. Murthy has also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/29/health/surgeon-general-social-media/index.html#:~:text=US%20Surgeon%20General%20Vivek%20Murthy,still%20%E2%80%9Cdeveloping%20their%20identity.%E2%80%9D" target=_blank>said that 13 is “too early”</a> for children to join such sites as Instagram, TikTok and X and suggested that parents could “band together” to keep teenagers off those apps.

But Murthy has stopped short of calling for a ban against all minors and teens on social media, a concept even the fiercest critics of the platforms have largely declined to take up.

Nesheiwat, a former medical director for urgent care provider CityMD and a Fox contributor since 2020, has been consistent over the years in linking social media use to various harms. After this Tech Brief was published, Fox publicist Courtney Ur said Nesheiwat’s departure from the network was effective on Friday, when Trump announced her as his pick.

In March, Nesheiwat praised a Florida law banning children 13 and under from setting up social media accounts and requiring that 14- and 15-year-olds get permission from their parents to join the sites. She <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6350006272112" target=_blank>told Fox News</a> the measure would help protect children from “life-threatening” risks online, such as drug sales, sexual predators and cyberbullying.

Other states and some countries <a href="https://apnews.com/article/australia-social-media-children-ban-e02305486cb44aa07dcaf2964bec4e3d" target=_blank>such as Australia</a> have considered or passed bills to bar children and young teens from accessing social media, but most like Florida have proposed allowing parents to okay its use by teenagers or set a lower age limit that would not apply to all teens.

In 2022, Nesheiwat <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=728249195141320" target=_blank>said “tackling”</a> social media was key to countering the opioid epidemic. It was not immediately clear whether she has commented on Murthy’s proposal to place labels on social media platforms warning of their potential risks to children.

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 doctor who will work alongside President Trump as the next Surgeon General to Make America Healthy Again for all Americans, including our children and younger generations.”

Nesheiwat would not have the power to impose a ban, but as the nation’s most prominent doctor she would have a powerful megaphone to speak out on the issue.

Her remarks are likely to spark backlash from digital rights advocates and tech industry groups, who have blasted efforts to restrict youth access to social media as an attack on free speech.

NetChoice, a tech trade group that counts Meta, Google and Amazon as members, last month <a href="https://netchoice.org/netchoice-ccia-sue-florida-again-to-stop-i-d-for-the-internet-and-keep-free-speech-accessible/" target=_blank>sued to block the Florida law </a>on grounds that it violates First Amendment protections. Federal courts have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/16/child-online-safety-california-blocked/" target=_blank>sided with the group in cases</a> over state laws to restrict children’s access to social media. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Murthy’s more-limited proposal to place a surgeon general’s warning on social media apps has also prompted criticism from advocates who say he is <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/no-online-speech-should-not-have-warning-labels" target="_blank">racing ahead of the science</a> on social media and youth mental health. Murthy’s 2023 public health advisory noted that “social media has both positive and negative impacts on children and adolescents.”

It’s unclear to what extent Nesheiwat’s comments align with the president-elect’s views.

While Trump has spoken sparingly about children’s online safety, he himself <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/19/truth-social-trump-media-stock-djt-election/" target=_blank>owns a social media company</a>, has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/13/elon-musk-trump-presidential-transition/" target=_blank>re-embraced the X platform</a> under owner Elon Musk and has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/12/trump-tiktok-ban-sale/" target=_blank>said he wants to “save TikTok”</a> from a potential federal ban over separate national security concerns.

Truth Social, owned by the Trump Media &amp; Technology Group, says it is “intended for users who are at least 18 years of age” <a href="https://help.truthsocial.com/legal/terms-of-service/" target=_blank>in its terms of service</a> and requires that minors obtain permission or be supervised by a parent or guardian to join the site.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/24/musk-ramaswamy-doge-trump/" target=_blank>Musk and Ramaswamy race to build a ‘DOGE’ team for war with Washington</a> (Elizabeth Dwoskin, Jeff Stein, Jacob Bogage and Faiz Siddiqui)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/26/intel-11-billion-grant-chips-biden/" target=_blank>U.S. finalizes $11 billion for Intel as time runs out on Biden’s chip plan</a> (Gerrit De Vynck)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/22/brendan-carr-fcc-trump-social-media-musk/" target=_blank>Trumps FCC pick Brendan Carr comes in swinging at Big Tech</a> (Eva Dou and Cristiano Lima-Strong)

<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5008010-trump-newsom-electric-vehicle-tax-credit/" target=_blank>Newsom says California will intervene if Trump kills $7,500 EV tax credit</a> (The Hill)

<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5008598-elon-musk-department-efficiency-defense-budget/" target=_blank>Khanna says Democrats will work with Musk’s DOGE on cutting defense budget </a>(The Hill)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/26/elon-musk-george-soros-pac-republican-elections/" target=_blank>‘Soros of the right’ Elon Musk eyes progressive prosecutors as next target</a> (Trisha Thadani)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/23/bluesky-threads-social-media/" target=_blank>Meta scrambles to respond to upstart social platform Bluesky’s surge</a> (Will Oremus and Naomi Nix)

<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9083d7f8-d2e6-4e08-a324-8def68258efd" target=_blank>Bluesky breaching rules around disclosure of information, says E.U.</a> (Financial Times)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/25/microsoft-outage-outlook-365-teams/" target=_blank>Microsoft outage disrupts Outlook and Teams, affecting thousands</a> (Joseph Menn and Aaron Gregg)

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/25/google-justice-department-antitrust-ad-sales-monopoly/" target=_blank>Justice Dept., Google make closing arguments in ad-market antitrust case</a> (Eva Dou)

<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/25/24305482/google-uk-class-action-lawsuit-search-dominance" target=_blank>Google to face massive UK class-action lawsuit over search dominance</a> (The Verge)

<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-faces-april-trial-ftc-case-seeking-unwind-instagram-merger-2024-11-25/" target="_blank">Meta faces April trial in FTC case seeking to unwind Instagram merger</a> (Reuters)

Mando’s first snow❄️❄️ #dog #dogsoftiktok #cockerspaniel #cockerspanielsoftiktok #puppy #puppyoftiktok #petlover #petsoftiktok #snow 

That’s all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Make sure to tell others to subscribe to <a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/60/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a" target=_blank>Tech Brief</a>. Get in touch with Cristiano (via <a href="mailto:cristiano.lima@washpost.com" target=_blank>email</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/viaCristiano" target=_blank>social media</a>) and Will (via <a href="mailto:will.oremus@washpost.com" target=_blank>email</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/willoremus" target=_blank>social media</a>) for tips, feedback or greetings!

Lehigh University, BA in Political Science

Lehigh University, MA in Political Science

 Cristiano Lima-Strong is a tech policy reporter and co-author of The Washington Post's Tech Brief newsletter, focusing on the intersection of tech, politics and policy. His coverage focuses on privacy and children’s online safety. He previously served as a senior web producer, breaking news reporter and tech policy reporter for Politico.

Cristiano Lima-Strong

San Francisco State University, BA in journalism

San Francisco State University, BS in apparel design and merchandising

Andrea Jiménez is a news aide with The Washington Post’s tech team based in San Francisco. She joined The Post after graduating from San Francisco State University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. She was staff writer for The Golden Gate Xpress and Xpress Magazine. Her work has been featured on KQED and YR Media.

Andrea Jiménez Hernández

the-washington-post

Trump Transition Health

name

washpost

prism://prism.query/site,/politics/powerpost/the-technology-202&limit=20

The Washington Post’s essential guide to tech policy news

Tech Brief

https://newsletter-images.washingtonpost.com/briefs/primary/technology.svg

https://newsletter-images.washingtonpost.com/briefs/secondary/technology.svg

"Expect exclusive news, interviews with key leaders and analysis of the historic clash of the Bay and the Beltway.”

"Subscribe to read more about the ideas and debates driving tech policy, from the AI boom to online speech to antitrust.