Bluesky’s chief operating officer, Rose Wang, says proposed social media restrictions on teens could end up strengthening large technology firms’ control of social platforms. Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of SXSW in London, Wang said the open-source service supports protections and safety for young users, but argued that the policy “cost” matters—particularly for smaller entrants.
Wang cautions that heavy compliance requirements could disadvantage smaller companies. She says the compliance teams at major platforms can be far larger than the entire teams of smaller services, making it harder to compete even if new rules aim to improve youth safety. Her concern is that over time the market could consolidate around a small number of heavily regulated platforms.
The report also notes Bluesky’s scale and trajectory relative to larger services, citing that Bluesky had about 43 million users as of March, compared with X’s estimated 450 million users. It adds that Bluesky has faced challenges maintaining momentum, including a reported decline in daily mobile active users over the past year.
Overall, the remarks focus on how regulation could affect competition in social media, not on whether youth protections are needed.
