Debates

The Chilling Effect Is Here

Plus: “A Barrage of Sexualized Content”

Team Citizens

Jun 1, 2025 — 3 min read

Dear Citizen,

Alarming actions out of the U.S. State Department, who on Wednesday declared “new visa restrictions against those… complicit in censoring Americans.”

Translation? They want to limit anyone who tries to regulate social media, under the guise of “free speech.” The move raises concerns that many of our experts may not be allowed to speak in America or be denied visas, and that the chilling effect will extend to anyone who believes, as we do, that disinformation is real and insidious.

Watch this space for actions you can take.

Here’s what else to know about this week.

We have so much more planned and our spirits remain high, but with philanthropic funding in retreat, we are on a knife’s edge. Without your support, unfortunately, our little team will not be able to survive and report past Summer 2025. Can you help us by becoming a member?

Become a member

#IN DEPTH: IG For Groomers #

How’s Instagram Teen doing? About as well as you’d expect. Our partners and allies Accountable Tech and Design it For Us released a report finding that teens on the platforms are receiving “a barrage of sexualized content.” -

This spring, Sacramento high school senior Saheb Gulati used a burner phone to create a test Instagram account for a hypothetical 16-year-old boy. As of this past fall, all accounts used by teens are supposed to automatically filter out “sensitive” content, among other protections, for mental health and safety. Over two weeks, Gulati says, his test account received recommended sexual content that “left very little to the imagination.” He counted at least 28 Instagram Reels describing sexual acts, including digital penetration, using a sex toy and memes describing oral sex. The Instagram account, he says, became preoccupied with “toxic masculinity” discussions about “what men should and shouldn’t do.

# ONE ACTION: Rain on Trump’s Parade#

June 14th in America is Flag Day, where we celebrate the flag! 🇺🇸🤷It’s also … Donald Trump’s birthday, where he is celebrating by throwing a military parade in his honor because we totally aren’t living in a dystopian hellscape. 😰

Fortunately Indivisible is ramping up for a major action. Aiming to "send a signal" to Trump and allied institutions to protect democracy and make it clear it's not appropriate to spend money on a parade for Trump amid cuts to Medicaid and other government programs, protests will hit all 50 states. Get involved here, or spread the word from overseas on social media.

# ONE WATCH: Is Elon Done with Politics? #

One broligarch romance with the Trump administration is headed exactly where we thought it would: South. But is it too late to roll back the worst of what Elon Musk unleashed? This essential episode of Pivot from Kara Swisher looks at Elon, politics and what’s next.