Buck Brief - Should Team Trump Restrict Kids From Social Media?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Buck Brief - Should Team Trump Restrict Kids From Social Media?

Date: December 11, 2025

Host: Buck Sexton | Guest: Lydia Moynihan (New York Post Correspondent)

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Overview

This episode centers on a hot-button debate sparked by Australia’s decision to ban children under 16 from all social media platforms. Buck Sexton and guest Lydia Moynihan discuss the implications of such a ban, its relevance for the U.S.—especially for the Republican “Team Trump” camp—parental challenges, government regulation, parallels to existing guardrails for minors, and the broader cultural impacts of technology on childhood.

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Key Points & Insights

1. Australia's Social Media Ban: Context and Rationale

• Main Story: Australia has banned kids under 16 from social media, a move triggering passionate discussions among American parents and media (03:02).
• Societal Motivation: Australia’s reasoning is to curb addiction and developmental impacts from early, unfettered access to social media.

Quote:
Buck Sexton:

"Australia has poisonous spiders. They have too many sharks. I think in that regard, it's a difficult place to live. But when it comes to the social media ban, I think they got this 100% right." (03:37)

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2. Government Involvement and the ‘Nanny State’ Debate

• Support for Regulation: Both hosts argue that, unlike tech companies, governments can—and should—intervene to protect children from addictive technologies.
• Reference to U.S. precedents, like age verification for adult material in Tennessee, shows that successful regulation is possible and effective (05:31).

Quote:
Lydia Moynihan:

"There are all these areas of the law where, particularly for minors... the state steps in and tries to protect them. ...I think there need to be special protections in place. I don't think this is excessive regulation. I think it's necessary regulation." (05:31)

• Buck’s Perspective: Government regulation for children is already commonplace—school attendance, age limits for alcohol, voting, and driving.
• The societal pressure on parents makes individual restriction difficult; collective policy sets a helpful societal norm (06:50).

Quote:
Buck Sexton:

"To me, this is probably one example of sort of like needing a nanny state because... a lot of parents have just abdicated responsibility or just, again, can't withstand the pressure of their kids." (06:50)

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3. Childhood in the Age of Social Media

• The addictive qualities of social media are likened to drugs; Moynihan argues children’s brains are not developed enough for self-regulation (03:37).
• Noted loss of traditional childhood activities—outdoor play, diary writing, creativity.
• Bullying and online permanence of youthful mistakes create additional mental health hazards (07:48).

Quote:
Lydia Moynihan:

"There’s so much more bullying, there’s so much more pressure and I think if this can in some way create a little bit more of a childhood for some kids, how wonderful is that?" (06:50)

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4. Parental Challenges and Workarounds

• Technology-savvy children often get around existing parental controls; a broad-based legal ban would bring more equity and clarity (06:50).
• Buck’s co-host Clay Travis didn’t let his sons have smartphones until age 14—highlighted as sound personal policy (07:48).

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5. Personal Reflections: Generational Differences

• Nostalgia for the pre-social media era: Disposable cameras at college parties versus the current climate of online oversharing and digital permanence (09:09).
• Both hosts admit to struggles with their own screen time, relating adult discipline needs to the near impossibility for children (10:30).

Quote:
Lydia Moynihan:

"I feel so bad for these kids. Like, I don't have discipline right now as an adult. No way that you can, like, set decent habits and monitor yourself when you're 12. I mean, that's just absolute insanity." (09:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Addictiveness:
  "Not getting addicted to something that's like, frankly, almost as addictive as opium or cocaine or any other drug. I think it makes a lot of sense." – Lydia Moynihan (03:37)
• On Societal Norms:
  "What I think it does do is sort of set a new societal norm that children should be running around outside..." – Lydia Moynihan (03:37)
• On Peer Pressure for Parents:
  "You don't want to be that one parent who feels like every other child is allowed on social media except for yours." – Lydia Moynihan (03:37)
• On Digital Nostalgia:
  "There was a time when the only thing you had to be worried about at a party... was if somebody had one of those cameras that you had to... the little wheel, the Polaroid..." – Buck Sexton (09:09)

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Additional Segment: Masculinity and Political Culture (12:44–16:43)

Discussion Highlights:

• Humorous Exchange: Recounting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s comments about Republican fears of his "masculinity." Even Gavin Newsom laughs at the claim (12:44).
• Gender Politics: Shifts in gender roles, the liberal/conservative divide among young men and women—men trending slightly more conservative, women trending far left (14:27).
• Political Strategy: Sexton and Moynihan suggest that promoting healthy masculinity could moderate some of the cultural polarization among youth (15:52).

Quote:
Buck Sexton:

"...Their wokeism and identity politics is ultimately like doesn't allow for men to be men and men to be masculine." (14:49)
Lydia Moynihan:
"You still want a guy who's a real guy." (16:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:02] Introduction to Australia’s Social Media Ban
• [03:37] Debate over government vs. parental oversight
• [05:31] Discussion on Tennessee’s adult material regulation as precedent
• [06:50] Parental pressures and analogy to nanny state
• [07:48–09:26] Personal anecdotes about tech in childhood and parental decisions
• [10:30] Reflections on adult screen time and self-discipline
• [12:44–16:43] Broader conversation on masculinity, gender culture, and politics

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Guest Info & Where to Find More

• Lydia Moynihan:
  • Twitter/X: @LJMoynihan
  • Instagram: @moynihanlydia
  • Weekly New York Post column focused on tech, business, politics, and AI. Upcoming features include interviews with Don Jr. and Omid Malik (17:40).

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Summary Takeaway

The hosts lean in favor of restricting under-16s from social media, viewing government action as not just sensible but overdue, due to the tech industry’s profit motives and a widespread lack of discipline—both parental and personal. The episode blends policy analysis, humor, and cultural reflection, ultimately advocating for societal norms that better protect kids while offering nostalgia for a less connected, more “real” childhood. The broader cultural and political segment touches on masculinity and the culture wars, suggesting moderation and real-world experience as antidotes to the extreme polarization present online.

Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

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[Lydia Moynihan]

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You're listening to the Buck Sexton show podcast. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. So Australia has banned kids under 16 from social media. Parents all over America are looking at this saying maybe we should do this here or maybe not. Lydia Moynihan joins us now. She's a New York Post correspondent. Lydia, dive into this situation because number one story on FOX News today, as I'm speaking to you, like the banner, the headline story is Australia's social media ban because parents are fired up.

[Buck Sexton]

Australia has poisonous spiders. They have too many sharks. I think in that regard, it's a difficult place to live. But when it comes to the social media ban, I think they got this 100% right. And I think this is actually one government interference, one government rule that's actually very beneficial for society because tech companies are making so much money off children, they have no incentive to say, oh, you should probably have your children be on their cell phone and on the Internet less. It's interesting, there was a couple years ago this big documentary that came out and a lot of people in tech were saying, oh yeah, with my own kids, I'm not going to let them on social media. I'm not going to give them a phone. But these companies are worth sometimes trillion plus dollars. They're not going to want to rein in kids being on their phones, on the apps. And for parents, it's really tough because you don't want to be that one parent who feels like every other child is allowed on social media except for yours. You don't want your child to be developmentally delayed because of that. And so I think this kind of sets a tone that is ultimately going to be so much more beneficial from society. I mean, kind of as an adult, I actually wish there was a law that like I could only spend so much time on my phone. I think that would be good for me. Most of us don't have the discipline. Kids definitely do not. Their brains aren't even fully developed. So the idea that the government would get involved and set the tone. And bear in mind, too, this isn't. This isn't a draconian law. Like, they're not going to arrest people if they're not, you know, abiding by this law. You can kind of get around it. But what I think it does do is sort of set a new societal norm that children should be running around outside and drawing and writing in their diary and doing whatever kids do, not getting addicted to something that's like, frankly, almost as addictive as opium or cocaine or any other drug. Why? I just. I think it's. I think it makes a lot of sense.

[Lydia Moynihan]

It's interesting because I came up against a little bit of the government regulation. Like, people shout these things to which I have to sometimes, because I am of the point of view that this makes a lot of sense. I also think that what you've seen in some states, like Tennessee, where they have the 18 verification now for being able to view adult material and how that they've been able to implement that. And sure enough, it has changed some of the, you know, Internet habits going on in the state of Tennessee. I think, for a. I think in part because you have kids that aren't being able to access this, which is good, but also adults are like, I don't think I want to put my driver's license on some database of, hey, I look at porn. So that's. That's changing behaviors really fast. But there are all these areas of the law where, particularly for minors, for people who are not yet legally adults, the state steps in and tries to protect them. And you see this on the social media stuff, on safety issues alone. So many of these. Of these online predators and these extortion gangs that operate even overseas targeting kids here, all this stuff going on, I think there need to be special protections in place. I don't think this is excessive regulation. I think it's necessary regulation.

[Buck Sexton]

No, I mean, we regulate all kinds of things for kids. Kids have to go to school. Kids have to. Well, they can't drink, they can't vote. They can't drive until a certain age. Like, to me, this is probably one example of sort of like needing a nanny state because again, I think a lot of parents have just abdicated responsibility or just, again, can't withstand the pressure of their kids. And also, I'll note, a lot of kids, even if their parents have said, oh, I don't want you on this app or that app, or try and limit Your time kids are smart. They can get around it right now. So again, having one more layer where children aren't as addicted to these apps I think is really good. And I also just, I don't know, I feel for kids who are growing up in this day and age because there's so much more bullying, there's so much more pressure and I think if this can in some way create a little bit more of a childhood for some kids, how wonderful is that? Yeah, I mean, do you have kids? Have you, have you come up against this at all?

[Lydia Moynihan]

Well, I have an 8 month old, so we're still trying to get him to be able to, you know, hold the sippy cup. So he's not yet using social media, but he, he is going to be, you know, my co host on radio Clay. He, he has three boys who are all basically late, you know, early or late stage teenagers and, and he didn't let them have phones until they're 14. Like, you know, smartphones. I think that is, is sound policy and, or, you know, sound policy for parents. I think that's good decision making. I do think that can be left to parents, but I think that that's good decision making. And on this one, I just think that until you understand the way that people get habituated to this social media and the risks that kids run. Also even just you mentioned bullying of the thing that peers, peers will say and do and people can say really dumb things online and then it's kind of just out there for everybody and they might get in trouble at school. There's a lot of reasons why I am very grateful. Um, I, I am a bunch older than you, so I don't even know if you have any idea what I'm talking about, but there was a time when the only thing you had to be worried about at a, at like a party when you were in college was if somebody had one of those cameras that you had to. Had a little thing twisted. Like the little twisted or the little like wheel, the Polaroid, the little Polo.

[Buck Sexton]

Come back now by the way.

[Lydia Moynihan]

No, but it's the, they were like disposable cameras. That was, everyone had these disposable cameras with a little wheel and like you would hear it if someone pulled one of those out. I was like, whoa, okay. Like time to, you know, time to behave. But anyway, I think that this is it.

[Buck Sexton]

I. One more thing to add. Yeah. Because I feel, I feel very grateful that like I was kind of growing up as social media was out and about, but my parents were really strict. And of course at the time it was really obnoxious and they wouldn't let me upload a profile photo or whatever. And it turns out they were, like, right about all of this. But one other point that I'll make as well is in New York actually and LA and like some of these very high end private clubs actually have really strict policies about using your phone. You get a little sticker placed on your phone's camera. And I think it's because people realize, like, they. They miss the sort of elements of, like, having interaction with people. Before, we were living in this iPhone world where everyone's on social media and capturing photos. And so I think people, like, really want privacy. And in the case of these private clubs, they'll pay a lot of money to have it. So it's just very interesting how we're so nostalgic for that. And again, I just. I feel so bad for these kids. Like, I don't have discipline right now as an adult. No way that you can, like, set decent habits and monitor yourself when you're 12. I mean, that's just absolute insanity.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Do you feel. Do you feel judged when your phone tells you how much screen time you've had that week? Because I think I set. I think I turned that off.

[Buck Sexton]

I. The hard problem is that, you know, in news, you kind of always have to be abreast of what's going on, and some of that is on X. So I have this really bad habit where I justify being on X as working, which is a little debatable. But, yeah, that's where most of my screen time comes from. But it is. Yeah. I feel shamed by Apple, which I should feel more shame.

[Lydia Moynihan]

I have to explain to my wife and sometimes brothers, my friends, when I'm on my phone, it's work. Of course it's work. It's always work when I'm on the phone. Not always, but sometimes.

[Buck Sexton]

So got to retweet this right now.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Gotta get on the. Gotta get on the. I still call it Twitter. I'm never gonna. The X. I know. I can't. I still feel like Twitter is. It's always gonna be Twitter to me. All right, we're coming. And talk about Tim Waltz and masculinity here in a second. You can give the female perspective on how masculine Tim Waltz is, but our sponsor here is Birch Gold. The value of both gold and silver is up this year. In fact, up more than 60% through the first 11 months of the year. So there are plenty of reasons for this uncertainty in what central banks are going to be doing going forward other than the printing, which they're going to be doing that for sure. A lot of inflation we're going to be dealing with going forward. Birch Gold Group wants you to own silver and gold. That's why they think that for this is a great deal for you. For every $5,000 you purchase in gold between now and December 22, which is coming up, Birch Gold will send you an ounce of silver. Diversify. Let Birch Gold help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA and physical gold. For every $5,000 you buy, you'll get an ounce of silver. Text my name. Buck to 9898 98. Claim your eligibility for this offer. Text Buck to 98. 98 98. Birch Gold's free silver with qualifying purchase promotion ends on December 22nd. Text Buck to 9898 98. All right, Lydia, sure. You have seen Tim Walsh on the Gavin Newsom podcast when he claims that we Republicans are scared of his tremendous masculinity. What's your take on this?

[Buck Sexton]

The clip is honestly hilarious because even Gavin Newsom, who's not exactly a paragon of masculinity, starts laughing. And Tim Woltz has to be like, no, I'm serious. Wait, you're not taking me seriously. He's shocked that Gavin Newsom doesn't actually buy into him on this. And this is why I think during the election, it fell so flat when he was trying to like, cosplay as this sort of masculine Midwestern guy, because people were like, okay, like, you have a photo with a gun. Like, it doesn't seem like you really know what you're doing. Like, yes, I see that you're wearing camouflage, but like, it just, it doesn't, I don't know, I don't know what it is about him. But, like, I feel like we could find out in a few years ago that, like, he maybe isn't straight. I don't know. I just get that vibe.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Clay. I don't know, maybe his, his, his usage of jazz, of jazz hands a lot on the campaign trail, which I think is, you know, he was very, he would sort of do a little bit of fabulousness, this guy, Mr. Tim Walls. But he still clings.

[Buck Sexton]

He would thrive on Broadway. Like, let's be real.

[Lydia Moynihan]

He, he still clings to this notion that we are, in fact terrified of his masculinity. But I, I do think that there's a broader problem here. Tell me, speak to it from this perspective. Do you live, you live in New York, right?

[Buck Sexton]

I live in New York, yeah.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Yeah. So do you come across any guys who are, who are, you know, in your, in your age range who are claiming to be male feminists? Like does anyone actually adhere to this stuff anymore? Do they try to play this game? It just feels like the Democrat orthodoxy on gender roles and how guys are supposed to act in particular has just been rejected by the culture.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, I mean I think there is this huge split right now with gender between women are increasingly super far left. Like 84% of young women in New York voted for Mamdani. And men are increasingly a little bit more conservative I think because they, they're like this is insane, insanity. They, they reject a lot of the leftism. And I think the Democrats have been desperately trying to reach young men.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Right.

[Buck Sexton]

Like they spent millions of dollars to study and understand what young men wanted. And of course there's no recognition like that their ideology and that their wokeism and identity politics is ultimately like doesn't allow for men to be men and men to be masculine. So that's ultimately the big issue. But they can't address that elephant in the room because it would kind of undermine their whole political ideology.

But yeah, I think, I think a lot of people are afraid to say common sense on the left and so they just kind of shut up. And it's interesting, you don't see a lot of really masculine liberal men.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Yes, well, it's very hard to be a masculine liberal man if you're going to say things like I think dude should be able to play against women in sports. That's totally normal. Like no, no guy of average or above testosterone levels for his age range is going to say, you know what's totally fair. A 200 pound guy on the girls lacrosse team in college. Like that's not good. That's a hard thing to sell.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, I actually, because I've been thinking a lot about how young women and how so many young women in my peer group and some of my friends are just have gone so far left and I'm like, how do we reach these young women and help them understand like socialism is not the answer. Defunding the police is not the answer. And a lot of the people I speak with are like, the way we get young women to be a bit more moderate is we get young men to get out there. Right. And oftentimes once women get married they tend to be more conservative. And so I think it's been a big issue that a lot of men just have stayed home, have stayed in the basement, aren't super motivated. And so I think we need to push men to get out there, encourage that. And I think that's going to sort of moderate young women who are attracted to masculine men, by the way. This is like, doesn't matter how liberal you are, you still want a guy who's a real guy.

[Lydia Moynihan]

Mm, for sure. Sponsor here is preborn. Preborn clinics are saving lives across America right now, providing unconditional love and support for pregnant moms who are making that decision about whether to give life to their baby or go into a planned parenthood clinic and choose abortion. Preborn is there saying, hold on a second, let's give you the better option. And they start this with an ultrasound. The ultrasound is a. Is an opportunity for mom to meet the child in her womb. And it costs just $28 at this time of year when people are making donations supporting worthy causes. You can make a tax deductible donation to preborn to help save the lives of tiny babies in the womb. To donate, dial £250 and say the keyword BABY. That's £250. Say BABY or donate securely at preborn.com buck preborn.com/buck Sponsored by Preborn. Lydia, before we close this out here, where can people go to follow your work and what's the next thing you're going to be diving deep into?

[Buck Sexton]

What, when they are on their phones, when the government allows them? No, I'm just getting. I'm most active on Twitter or X. Too active actually at LJ Moynihan. I'm on Instagram Moynihan Lydia and I have a column every single week in the New York Post. I write a lot about tech AI, do a lot of interviews as well and intersection of business and politics. So the next column drops Friday. I have some commentary. An interview with Don Jr. Omid Malik from 1789 Capital. That's one of the items. But there's a lot more.

[Lydia Moynihan]

I am an investor with them, so I am familiar with. Oh, not, not a big one. But I'm an investor with them, so I'm familiar with the 1789 guys.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, maybe, maybe they'll sponsor our next podcast.

[Lydia Moynihan]

There we go. There we go. We'll give. Give o Don junior My regards. Good to see you, Lydia. Thanks for making the time.

[Buck Sexton]

Good to see you. Such a pleasure. I use Shipt same day delivery to stay connected with my sister during the holidays. She lives across the country. Shipt has tons of stores to order from groceries from Albertsons, crafts from Michaels, even pet supplies from petsmart. The list goes on. So when we have long distance movie nights, I turn to shift to get face masks, snacks and everything else we need delivered to her and to me same day. Download the app or visit shipt.com that's s h ipt.com forget whatever plans you.

[Lydia Moynihan]

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[Buck Sexton]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.