Newsom’s Wife Has Tough Words For State’s Premier Industry

LOS ANGELES — The wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the tech industry Monday, accusing one of the state’s premier industries of standing in the way of efforts to protect kids from the harmful effects of social media.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference, took swipes at Silicon Valley, accusing major firms of failing to address social media addiction and mental health problems among young people.

She also noted industry efforts to stymie the state’s landmark Age Appropriate Design Code — a law designed to protect children’s online privacy and safety — that has been held up in courts since the governor signed it in 2022.

“We’re sadly being held back by capitalist interests,” the first partner said. “For me, legislation is necessary if the tech companies aren’t going to be more transparent.”

Siebel Newsom’s comments at the conference, typically a hub for tech’s biggest players, come as lawmakers in Sacramento are set to consider nation-leading laws on tech regulation.

A bill advancing through the state legislature would expose social media platforms to enormous financial penalties if courts find their products negligently harmed kids. It has found favor among both Republicans and Democrats, who last month said they hoped the threat of costly fines would compel companies to negotiate.

“It’s time we bring them to the table,” Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, said at an April hearing. “There’s only way they’re going to listen to us.”

In an interview with POLITICO following the panel, Siebel Newsom called tech companies the “Wild West” and spoke to the need to protect children.

“They are our most vulnerable, and it is incumbent upon us to protect them when we create products that are being sold to them,” she said.

She also told POLITICO she hopes leaders in artificial intelligence recognize the dangers of existing systems.

“They can’t just continue to build on top of systems that have perpetuated inequities,” she said.

Siebel Newsom, during the panel, also spoke about her experience as a mother to four children between the ages of 8 and 14, who have had their own struggles with social media. At one point, she choked up recounting how the couple had to pull one of their kids out of school because of online bullying.

“Granted, we're public figures, but what we're seeing, sadly, are adults coming after our own children online — parents of children, and then the children mimicking it. I actually pulled my daughter from school,” she said. “It's bad."

She also spoke about a multistate lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which alleges that the company designed and deployed harmful features to addict children and teens to their detriment.

She swiped at Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg — though not by name — by laying the blame at his feet for blocking safety measures.

“That’s not leadership,” she said. “I mean, how can we create a safer world if we have people only focused on their personal pocketbooks?”

The dig was a noted contrast to her warm response to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, who detailed the company's voluntary efforts to create internal safety policies. Siebel Newsom praised executives like Ready as an example of a tech company that is aligned with the state's efforts.

"I know there are good folks like Bill, and I'm going to find all the good folks that really care about the future," she told POLITICO.

— Jeremy B. White contributed to this report.