How social media fuels rumors and affects democracy

The Pew Research Center reported on Thursday that a growing number of people think social media drives people into two sharply contrasting sets of opinions and harms democracy, reflecting growing apprehension and increased oversight globally.

Several companies running social platforms including Meta, Snap, and TikTok faced extensive litigation and paid substantial settlements over claims they harmed users.

Australia has become the first country to propose rules letting users switch to algorithmically recommended feeds, after banning social media for children under 16.

According to Pew’s latest survey, 82% of Australian adults back the administration's crackdown on children’s social media access.

In this connection, a majority of respondents said social media gives them a major voice in politics but there was a mounting public consensus on the detrimental impact of social media. The survey was made on more than 45,000 people in 37 countries; though the US is the among the most skeptical with 64% of adult respondents saying social media harms democracy; while the share of people who consider social media bad for democracy increased in 16 of 26 countries where historical archive data are available