Should the Approach to Social Media Change? – US Poll

A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows bipartisan consensus in the US on tightening social media regulation: 61% support strict control, 66% favor age verification, and 85% believe apps harm children. This comes amid lawsuits against Meta and YouTube.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a bipartisan consensus has emerged in the US on the need to tighten government regulation of social media. 61% of respondents support strict external control over platforms (71% among Democrats, 62% among Republicans). 66% favor mandatory age verification for users under 16, with conservatives supporting this measure more actively than liberals (74% vs. 69%). 85% of Americans believe that interactive apps cause severe addiction in children and damage their psychological health. The poll was conducted amid escalating legal pressure on Meta and YouTube: this week, a trial begins over whether Meta's product architecture is designed to induce compulsive addiction in youth. The corporation denies the allegations, warning of possible fines up to $1.4 trillion. A court in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million to a fund for helping teenagers. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have passed laws to protect minors, which the NetChoice association is challenging. The poll includes voter opinions: James Bosserdet, an engineer from Tennessee who voted for Trump, and Christopher Chen, a Washington resident who supported Harris, both favor government intervention. Meanwhile, 70% of participants enjoy using social media, 35% experience stress, and 52% believe they spend too much time on them.