President Donald Trump has nominated Adam Candeub to lead antitrust enforcement at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, signaling a renewed focus on regulating big tech companies and online content. Candeub, who currently serves as general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has publicly argued for criminalizing pornography to protect marriage and promote human flourishing.

In a recent report, Candeub called on society to emulate earlier generations that took "measures to curb access to [sexual material] so that sexual desire could be channeled more easily into marriage." He criticized 20th-century judges who "imagined they had a moral duty to protect James Joyce's Ulysses," indicating a desire to restore stricter obscenity regulations in the digital age.

Candeub contributed to the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, where he suggested that the effect of social media on users' happiness should be considered when evaluating whether these platforms violate antitrust laws. This approach could broaden the scope of antitrust enforcement to include social and psychological impacts of technology.

Historically, laws like New York's 1866 Obscene Literature Act made it a crime to distribute "obscene and indecent" materials, applying standards that considered whether content would "deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences." Candeub's stance appears to revive similar principles for today's internet environment.

Efforts to regulate online pornography and related content have often served as precedents for broader restrictions on online speech and privacy. Additionally, legislative proposals such as the NO FAKES Act, which would impose new restrictions on AI deepfakes, and the Apps Store Accountability Act, requiring parental consent for minors downloading apps, are under consideration, according to Politico.

For context, Nielsen reported in 1968 that children under six watched an average of 54 hours of television weekly, challenging nostalgic views of past media consumption.

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