Hollywood star Chris Pratt has voiced his support for Australia's landmark social media ban during an interview promoting his upcoming movie, Mercy. The film, set in the near future, follows a detective on trial for murdering his wife in a courtroom run entirely by artificial intelligence.
Pratt, known for roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, sat down with Sunrise's Steve Hargrave in London to discuss the new action thriller, which hits Australian cinemas on Thursday. The actor praised Australia's social media restrictions for children younger than 16.
"I totally support that. I think we'll look back on this era the same way we look back on pregnant mothers smoking in the '50s like 'I can't believe they did that'," Pratt said. "There's a high likelihood we'll learn that we've been, unfortunately, doing some serious damage to the minds of our youth."
The film's themes of AI-controlled justice and constant surveillance through cameras and social media hit close to home for the father, who frequently blurs or covers his children's faces in photos he shares online. "We're all new to this and the potential dangers of algorithm-driven entertainment in the minds of our children and what that means for them," he added.
