ReThinking: Fixing social media with Pinterest CEO Bill Ready

What It Covers

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready explains how his platform redesigned social media algorithms to prioritize user well-being over engagement time. Ready advocates for phone-free schools, private-only accounts for users under 16, and measuring platforms by emotional impact rather than view duration, challenging industry norms around maximizing screen time.

Key Questions Answered

• •Algorithm redesign for conscious choice: Pinterest shifted from maximizing view time to tracking deliberate user actions like saves and clicks, appealing to conscious thought rather than instinctual reactions. This change surfaced self-help content and DIY projects instead of triggering material, proving users make healthier choices when asked explicitly rather than having algorithms exploit their immediate emotional responses to maximize engagement.
• •Private-only accounts for minors: Pinterest implemented mandatory private accounts for all users under 16 with no option to re-enable public settings, preventing strangers from contacting young users online. Despite initial stock price drops of 20 percent, this safety feature contributed to nearly doubling growth with Gen Z users within one year, as 48 percent of this demographic recognizes social media harms but feels trapped by collective action problems.
• •Phone-free schools implementation: Research from over 400 Norwegian middle schools shows smartphone bans reduce bullying for both genders while improving girls' grades and mental health outcomes. Arkansas and other US states report similar results, with teachers noting schools sound like childhood again as students talk between classes instead of staring at devices, though implementation requires navigating initial high anxiety from all stakeholders.
• •Diversity by default in content: Pinterest serves body type ranges, skin tone ranges, and hair pattern searches in fashion and beauty content, showing users what average people look like rather than fashion models. This approach improves user engagement while allowing 570 million global users to see content tailored to their actual appearance, demonstrating that inclusive design drives both positive outcomes and business results simultaneously.
• •School hours intervention prompt: Pinterest displays prompts to users under 18 opening the app during school hours, encouraging them to return after school and providing links to disable all device notifications during those hours. This free market solution addresses distraction beyond Pinterest alone, investing in long-term user well-being rather than maximizing immediate engagement, proving business models can prioritize time well spent over total time spent.