US actor Jeremy Allen White has called for greater safeguards on social media platforms as he thinks the potential of these platforms is “scary” without regulation.

The 35-year-old stars in the upcoming thriller The Social Reckoning as journalist Jeff Horwitz, who teams up with Facebook employee Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) to blow the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets.

Written, directed and co-produced by Aaron Sorkin, the film is based on the 2021 true story centred on the Wall Street Journal’s expose The Facebook Files, while drawing on the power of social media to spread misinformation.

Reflecting on the message behind the film, White told the Press Association: “There needs to be more safeguards with all of these companies.

“I don’t mean to bully Facebook – all of these massive tech companies need more safeguards.

“For air travel, there’s third-party regulators. For pharmaceuticals, there’s third-party regulators. There should be a third-party regulator for these big companies.

“I hope there’s conversation around things like that coming out of the film.”

When asked whether social media could become something more than a tool frequently used to fuel misinformation and hate, White said: “I hope so.

“I hope for young people there’s a backslide where it becomes fashionable to avoid all this stuff.”

“I was born in 1991, so I remember a world without all this,” the actor added.

“I think for people my age, there’s a hyper awareness.

“There is something cool about having a certain amount of distance from social media.

“I hope that young people now can share that. It’s all moving so fast, and it is scary what it could become if there is no adjustment or regulation for it.”

White attended the gala screening for the film at the Curzon Mayfair in London on Tuesday, wearing a beige suit jacket over a white shirt, with a black tie and black trousers.

The actor, known for hit series The Bear and long-running drama Shameless, was flanked by his co-star Madison, who wowed crowds in a ruched lime green gown with a long train, along with Sorkin, who wore a grey suit.

The US screenwriter, 65, created the film as a companion piece to his 2010 drama The Social Network, which detailed the founding of Facebook and the bitter legal battles that followed.

Sorkin described the spread of misinformation on social media as “the last thing we need right now”, and told PA: “I don’t think we can put the toothpaste back in the tube.

“But what we can do is pass laws.”

The Social Reckoning will be released in cinemas across the UK on October 9.