Social media tariffs would hurt one of the USA’s biggest and most questionable industries, which has been stealing the world’s privacy, misleading us and hurting our kids’ mental health — for years.

This was published first on my Substack. Follow me there.

Opinion by Mathew Carr

May 6, 2025 — As Europe reconsiders its response to President Donald Trump’s trade policies, it should apply huge tariffs on America’s social media companies.

This would Make Europe Great Again (MEGA), and not just because it would bring in revenue for the region’s governments (Actually, it would Make Africa, Asia Great Again, etc, too!). 

It would disincentivize doom scrolling and force people back into the real world, where we belong.

Such a move would also likely bring the trade war to a faster close, since Mr Trump will quickly realise how much his service economy has to lose from his international bluster.

If I had to pay a 100% tariff on my X subscription, taking it to about £20 a month, I simply would not do it. Think of all the time I might save so I could better re-engage with my family and spend more time in nature! Plus, the savings from all those unnecessary and close-to-useless promotional fees charged by Google and Instagram, which would become out of reach.

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Further, the US needs to be prevented from getting a monopoly on global social media revenues, which it seems to be pushing for by forcing the sale by China-based interests of the American arm of TikTok.

I think it’s no coincidence that the extension of the deadline for TikTok’s US ban coincides with the 90-day delay in most of Trump’s tariffs.

It’s not fair on Americans to have most of their information censored by the US government. China should open up information flows to its people, too, and shift toward less censorship.

America has successfully dominated the world via propaganda, biased media companies and violence since the end of the second world war. It’s time to end this era and punchy new tariffs might help.

Might as well join them in tariff craziness if they can’t be easily beaten, otherwise.

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China, European Parliament decide to lift restrictions on exchanges: FM spokesperson

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2025-05-06 17:26:30

   https://english.news.cn/20250506/1c129995a24747c38af31bcf4792030f/c.html

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) — China and the European Parliament have decided to simultaneously and comprehensively lift restrictions on mutual exchanges as agreed by the two sides, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here Tuesday.

Over the past few years, exchanges between the legislative bodies of China and European Union (EU) have encountered some twists and turns for reasons known to all, spokesperson Lin Jian told a daily news briefing.

Under the current circumstances, both sides believe that it is of great importance for China and the EU to enhance dialogue and cooperation, Lin added.

“We believe and expect that with the full resumption of exchanges between the legislative bodies of China and the EU, the two sides will deepen communication and understanding, which will inject new impetus into the sustained, healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations,” Lin said.  ■