Newsom's Wife Seeks Law to Curb Boys' Access to Right-Wing Content

Jennifer Siebel Newsom reveals her son found Andrew Tate 'cool' and announces legislation to hold tech companies accountable.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 4:09am by Ben Kaplan

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A fractured, abstract painting in dark blue, grey, and red tones depicting a young man's face partially obscured by digital distortion, conveying the tension and uncertainty around the Newsom administration's proposal to curb young men's access to certain online content.The Newsom administration's push to regulate online content seen by young men exposes deep tensions over the role of government in shaping political views.San Francisco Today

California's first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom told a San Francisco audience that her own son found controversial internet personality Andrew Tate 'pretty cool', and that the Newsom administration is now pursuing legislation aimed at stopping boys from absorbing what she called 'very, very dangerous' right-leaning content online.

Why it matters

Siebel Newsom's remarks amount to a striking admission from one of the most prominent progressive families in American politics: even inside the Newsom household, the cultural current is pulling young men away from left-wing orthodoxy. The proposed remedy of government-backed legislation to hold tech companies 'accountable' for what kids see raises questions about the scope and intent of the legislation.

The details

Speaking at the Common Sense Summit late last month, Siebel Newsom described her alarm at discovering that her son had been exposed to Andrew Tate's content while watching sports online. She framed the issue in explicitly political terms, stating that 'boys... are moving a little bit, I'm trying not to be political here but are moving to the right and are being sort of influenced by the Andrew Tates and some of that sort of alt-right socialization online that we know is very, very dangerous.' Siebel Newsom told the summit audience that the administration is working on legislation to 'hold tech companies accountable and help them be a force for good' in order to prevent children from going 'down this rabbit hole [of] very dangerous and limiting narratives around what it means to be a girl, what it means to be a boy.'

  • Siebel Newsom's remarks were delivered at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families in San Francisco late last month.

The players

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

The wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state's first partner, who revealed her concerns about her son's exposure to right-wing content online and the administration's plans to pursue legislation.

Gavin Newsom

The Governor of California, whose administration is reportedly working on the legislation proposed by his wife to hold tech companies accountable for the content seen by children.

Andrew Tate

A controversial internet personality whose content Siebel Newsom described as 'very, very dangerous' and influencing young men to move to the right politically.

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What they’re saying

“Boys, we all know... are moving away from the more progressive, Boys [who] have spent time online are moving a little bit, I'm trying not to be political here but are moving to the right and are being sort of influenced by the Andrew Tates and some of that sort of alt-right socialization online that we know is very, very dangerous.”

— Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California's First Partner

“We're working on legislation to hold tech companies accountable and help them be a force for good.”

— Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California's First Partner

“We owe it to them and ourselves to kind of heal this gift of modern technology, but curb it to be a force for good... We're trying to institutionalize our values so that they carry on beyond our term.”

— Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California's First Partner

What’s next

No specific details have been provided on the proposed legislation, including which agency or lawmakers are drafting the measure, or what mechanisms it would use to compel tech companies to filter content. The administration has not yet released any bill text or identified co-sponsors for the proposal.

The takeaway

Siebel Newsom's remarks reveal a concerning impulse to use state power to regulate the political content that young people, including her own son, are exposed to online. Rather than engaging with the ideas that are drawing some young men to the right, the Newsom administration appears intent on shielding them from those perspectives through government intervention. This raises serious concerns about free expression and the proper role of government in shaping the political views of children.