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A majority of Americans support tighter government regulation of social media companies, including mandatory age-verification technology to prevent younger children from accessing the platforms, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The six-day online survey, which concluded on 3 August, involved 4,505 adults across the United States. It has a margin of error of two percentage points.
The findings come as technology companies such as Meta and Google’s YouTube face growing legal and political pressure over their impact on young users. Prosecutors in several US states have accused Meta of designing its products in ways that encourage young people to become addicted. The case is scheduled to go to trial next Wednesday.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has denied the allegations. The company has said it could face fines of up to $1.4 trillion if the states prevail in the case.
Meanwhile, a court in New Mexico last Thursday ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund for the mental health of teenagers and required changes to the company’s platforms for younger users. The ruling held Meta responsible for harming children’s wellbeing.
Technology companies are also facing increasing scrutiny from lawmakers across the United States over their alleged harmful effects on young people. More than a dozen states have passed laws restricting minors’ access to social media, saying the measures are necessary to strengthen online safety.
However, NetChoice, a trade association backed by social media giants including Meta, TikTok and Snap, has challenged laws requiring age verification in court. The group argues that such measures violate constitutional protections for free speech.
According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 61% of respondents said social media companies should face stricter government oversight. Support stood at 71% among Democrats and 62% among Republicans, while independent voters were less supportive, with many saying they remained undecided.
The poll also found that 66% of Americans support legislation requiring social media companies to use age-verification technology to prevent children under 16 from accessing their platforms. Support was highest among Republicans at 74%, compared with 69% among Democrats.
James Bosardet, a 60-year-old mechanical engineer from Tennessee who voted for Republican President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, said he generally favoured a limited role for government in people’s lives. But he took a different view when it came to regulating social media use among children.
“Someone has to do it,” Bosardet said. “Is it the government’s job? I don’t want it to be the government’s job. But I think maybe it should be.”
The US Congress has yet to pass legislation specifically aimed at protecting children from social media.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 85% of Americans believe social media can be addictive for children. A similar proportion said they believed social media use could harm children’s mental health.
Christopher Chen, a 34-year-old Washington, DC resident who voted for Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris in 2024, said social media companies exert too much influence over teenagers.
“I don’t know what the regulation should look like,” Chen said. “But something needs to be done by the government to protect people.”
Paula Dick, 73, said social media companies could do more to keep children away from inappropriate content. She also supported greater government oversight of the apps children use.
Dick said she does not allow her grandchildren to use YouTube when she looks after them, but they always find ways to access it.
“They find ways around whatever their parents have blocked on their phones,” said Dick, who lives in Kansas and voted for Trump in 2024. “They are pretty clever.”
Despite concerns over the impact of social media, many Americans continue to enjoy using the platforms.
About 70% of respondents said they enjoy spending time on social media, while 35% said using the platforms causes them stress.
Americans were also divided over whether they spend too much time on social media. Some 52% said they spend more time on the platforms each day than they should, while 43% disagreed.
