Jennifer Siebel Newsom, center-right, with Camille Servan-Schreiber, Wendy Guerrero, Allie Phillips, Jenelle Riley, and Gretchen Miller at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas on Wednesday. Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images.
Interview: Jennifer Siebel Newsom's New Film Shines a Light on the Human Cost of Unregulated Social Media
David Smith in Washington
California's first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, presents a new documentary, Miss Representation: Rise Up, which studies the cultural backlash against women in the era of algorithms and deepfakes.
Life moves quickly. On a Monday lunchtime, Siebel Newsom visits the Guardian's Washington office for an interview to promote her film. Less than two hours later, her husband, California Governor Gavin Newsom, announces that the couple is under investigation by the Justice Department. One strand of the investigation targets Siebel Newsom's taxes and the California Partners Project, a gender equity nonprofit she co-founded that received $4.3 million in donations solicited by her husband. Newsom denounced the move as a "personal vendetta" directed by Donald Trump because the governor is considering a presidential run.
Even before the news breaks, Siebel Newsom's verdict on Trump is harsh. "I feel sorry for our country right now because when the father figure, the leader, the president is such a broken, damaging, harmful role model, everyone's being traumatized," she says. "Everyone's mental health is not what it could be – should be."
How Did Jennifer Siebel Newsom Become a Target for Conservative Criticism?
Siebel Newsom, turning 52 this week, is not a politician but has long engaged in causes opposed by the current president. At Conservation International, she helped women in Africa and Latin America start environmentally friendly businesses. After a stint in Hollywood as an actor, she founded her own production company to highlight women's stories.
Her 2011 documentary, Miss Representation, explored media misrepresentation of women and its impact on positions of power. She launched the Representation Project, a nonprofit pushing for cultural change. Her husband became governor in 2019, but Siebel Newsom prefers the title "first partner" over "first lady."
"I've always had a career. I've always been a breadwinner. We don't pay our first ladies. This is my love, my work, my art, my creativity, and my advocacy. It parallel-tracks my work as first partner. I'm all about centering women and children and making sure California families thrive."
The New Film: Miss Representation: Rise Up
Siebel Newsom's newest film is a bracing study of the cultural backlash against women in the era of social media algorithms, AI deepfakes, the manosphere, "trad wives," and Trump's influence. It features prominent figures like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Klobuchar, Jameela Jamil, Gretchen Carlson, and Katie Couric.
The documentary highlights a mental health crisis: 53% of teenage girls reported persistent sadness and hopelessness in a 2023 CDC study, and 27% seriously considered suicide. Depression now affects girls as young as 11, 12, and 13, tied to social media "like" and "share" buttons that foster social comparison. It cites leaked Facebook documents showing tech companies studied children's neurobiology to exploit vulnerabilities.
"AI and social media have been weaponized to objectify, diminish, and silence women and girls," Siebel Newsom says. "It's harming our mental health, safety, and sense of power at an unprecedented rate and scale. We haven't held tech companies accountable."
The platforms are shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, granting broad immunity. The result is a "democratization of deepfake pornography," with AI tools like Elon Musk's Grok used by high school boys to generate nonconsensual explicit images of female classmates.
The documentary tells the story of Alexandra "Owl" Hinks, who faced relentless online bullying and sexualized demands, leading to her suicide.
Raising Children in Silicon Valley
As Gavin Newsom's spouse, Siebel Newsom is in the heart of Silicon Valley. "I'm a firm believer in innovation with guardrails," she says, citing Pinterest CEO Bill Ready as a positive example. She delayed giving her children smartphones until age 14, but now feels that was too early. "If adults struggle to put down phones, how can we expect kids with developing brains to do so? Especially those with ADHD or addictive tendencies."
The UK has announced a ban on social media for children under 16, a move Siebel Newsom supports for California and the US.
The Manosphere and Trad Wives
The documentary examines the algorithmic radicalization of young men through figures like Andrew Tate, linking violent online pornography to real-world treatment of women. It notes that 40% of women overall and 80% of women in politics face harassment, rape, and death threats. The "tradwife" movement, promoted by algorithms, encourages young women to abandon economic independence.
"Tradwives should have a voice beyond consumerism or serving men," Siebel Newsom says. "Women have much to offer outside the home. As 51% of the population that births 100%, we shape culture and policy."
She criticizes Turning Point USA for encouraging girls to marry and stop pursuing education. "That's harmful. Women should have economic independence for options and pride."
Politics and Silicon Valley
The alliance between reactionary politics and Silicon Valley billionaires is evident. Musk was Trump's biggest donor, and Zuckerberg attended a UFC event at the White House. "It's disheartening when people kiss the ring of someone harmful to our economy, democracy, and people," Siebel Newsom says.
Trump won two of three elections against women (Clinton and Harris). "Gender played a huge role, and Russian interference," she says. "Women are essential for a thriving democracy. Our democracy would thrive with more women in leadership."
When asked about America's readiness for a female president, given her husband's potential candidacy, she insists: "America is ready. We need more feminine in leadership. It will happen in our lifetime, but we must get our country back on track through the 2026 midterms and 2028."
