It's almost a ritual.

At any given time, a certain kind of politician must be trying to capitalize on concerns

that some new medium is dangerous to kids.

They did it with comic books, they did it with music lyrics, they did it with video games.

It's always got to be something.

Right now, it's social media's turn, and the fearmongering is at fever pitch.

When her husband, California Governor Gavin Newsom,

signed AB 2273 into law, Jennifer Siebel Newsom declared in a press release, quote,

I am terrified of the effects technology addiction and saturation are having on our children and their mental health.

More recently, discussing his intent to sign SB 152 and HB 311, Utah Governor Spencer Cox talked about social media in the same breath as tobacco, guns, and opioids.

Quote, this is something that is killing our kids, he said.

Governments in California, Utah, and elsewhere want to protect the kids from social media.

But maybe what we really need is to protect the kids from the government.

This is the Tech policy podcast. I'm Corbyn Barthold. My guest today needs no introduction,

certainly not in this neck of the woods. Mike Maznick is the founder and editor of TechDirt.

We mention him and his work on the show all the time, of course.

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that if it weren't for him,

I don't know how I'd keep up with the torrent of stuff going on in the tech legal and policy world.

As Mike recently wrote,

The moral panic over social media keeps getting stupider indeed

Mike it is so good to have you on welcome to the podcast thanks thanks for having me

I feel like that was not my most eloquent of lines but maybe maybe born out of frustration. Well, as Oliver Wendell

...