- A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 61% of Americans want stricter social media rules
- Support for stronger oversight is bipartisan with 71% Democrats, 62% Republicans
- 66% favor laws requiring age verification to block under-16 users on social media
A bipartisan majority of Americans support stronger government oversight of social media companies, with 61% of respondents saying such firms need stricter rules, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll found bipartisan support, with 71% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans backing greater oversight. Support among independent voters was lower, with many saying they were unsure where they stood.
The six-day survey, which concluded on Aug. 3, comes as social media companies face increasing political and legal scrutiny over their treatment of younger users.
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According to the survey, 66% of Americans favour legislation requiring social media companies to adopt age-verification technologies to prevent children under 16 from using their platforms.
Support for age-verification laws was particularly strong among Republicans, with 74% backing the measure, compared with 69% of Democrats.
The findings come as companies including Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube face increasing scrutiny over the impact of their platforms on young users.
A trial is expected to begin on Wednesday over allegations by state prosecutors that Meta designed its products to be addictive to young users. Meta has denied the allegations and said it could face up to $1.4 trillion in penalties if the states prevail.
Meta also suffered a setback in New Mexico this week, where a state court ruled on Thursday that the company had harmed children's well-being. The court ordered Meta to pay $567 million into an adolescent mental health fund and make changes to how its platforms operate for young users.
Lawmakers across the US have also stepped up efforts to regulate social media access for minors. More than a dozen states have passed laws aimed at regulating minors' access to social media, arguing that the measures are needed to improve online safety.
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However, the measures have faced opposition from the technology industry. NetChoice, a trade group backed by social media companies including Meta, TikTok and Snap, has sued to block laws requiring apps to verify users' ages. The group argues that such laws violate free speech protections.
The Reuters/Ipsos findings point to broad public support for tighter oversight of social media companies, with particularly strong backing for measures aimed at limiting minors' access to the platforms.
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