3 in 5 Americans back tougher social media rules

Six in ten Americans want firmer government oversight of social media companies, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released as Meta heads toward trial over allegations it deliberately designed addictive products for young users.

The survey, which was done online and included 4,505 adults from 29 July to 3 August, indicates that calls for stronger regulation have crossed party boundaries.

A total of 61% of the participants believe that there is a need for more oversight of social media companies, 71% among the Democrats and 62% among the Republicans, while independent views remained undecided as most had not yet made up their minds.

James Bosserdet, a 60-year-old engineer from Tennessee who supported Donald Trump's bid for presidency in 2024, told Reuters that although he believes in limited government interference in people's lives, he is an exception when it comes to the safety of children on the internet.

Support climbed higher on a specific policy: 66% of respondents backed laws requiring social media platforms to use age-verification tools to keep children under 16 off their services, with Republicans (74%) more supportive than Democrats (69%).

More than a dozen states have already passed laws regulating minors' social media access, though NetChoice, a trade group backed by Meta, TikTok and Snap, has sued to block age-verification requirements on free speech grounds.

The poll lands days before a trial is due to begin over state prosecutors' allegations that Meta built its products to be addictive to young users; the company denies wrongdoing but says it could face penalties of up to $1.4 trillion if the states prevail.

In another matter, a court in New Mexico independently fined Meta $567 million for putting money into a fund for children’s mental well-being after it ruled that the company had caused damage to children’s mental well-being. No federal law has been enacted by Congress so far.

Apart from legislation, 85% of Americans believed that social media could be addictive for children, and an equally high percentage believed that it could affect children’s mental well-being negatively.

However, most people still enjoy using the social media platform for themselves because more than 70% of people found it enjoyable, and 52% of them admitted spending too much time on social media platforms.