Loneliness, youth, and the rise of online radicalization

Should governments ban young people from social media? Paul Ash of the Christchurch Call Foundation says he has real reservations about age bans but understands why governments are turning to them.

In this conversation from the 2026 Paris Peace Forum, Tony Maciulis asks Ash where he lands on debates over the age at which a child should be able to use platforms like social media. Ash says that if policymakers could eliminate the information asymmetries that exist, they would not end up removing tools from a certain age group.
He says the debate often puts the onus on the public to tackle online harms rather than on those who designed the products. Ash says platform providers also have a responsibility to keep people safe. He says governments and tech firms have still not had a deep conversation about how recommender algorithms work.

Ash says he would like to see a move toward a more nuanced approach focused on product design and safety. In the meantime, he says, age bans could act as a forcing function for a more mature conversation.

This conversation is part of Global Stage, an award-winning series produced by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft exploring the intersection of technology, politics, and society.