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By Movieguide® Staff
Most American adults now support banning children under 16 from using social media, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Nearly six in 10 US adults support that kind of ban, Pew Research Center reported after surveying 9,750 adults from May 26 to June 1, 2026.
The numbers give families a clear signal that concern over minors and social media has moved beyond partisan debate. Parents across the country increasingly want more help guarding childhood from platforms built to hold attention.
Pew found that about one in five adults oppose banning those under 16 from social media, while about a quarter remain unsure. Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom have set or considered a minimum age of 16 for social media use, while California lawmakers have weighed similar legislation.
The survey also found broad support for less sweeping safeguards. Pew reported that 85% of adults support requiring parental consent for minors to create social media accounts, up from 81% in 2023.
Seventy-eight percent support requiring users to verify their age before using social media, and the same share supports limits on how much time minors spend on those platforms. Pew said no more than one in 10 adults oppose each of those three measures.
Related: Australia Might Restrict Kids’ Access to Social Media — Here’s Why
The findings arrive after years of warnings from doctors, parents and public officials about teen mental health and online life. The US Surgeon General has said social media can expose young people to harmful content, sleep disruption, harassment and unrealistic social comparison.
The Surgeon General’s advisory also cautioned that social media use is not one simple variable. The effect depends on the child, the platform, the content and the amount of time spent online.
That nuance matters for Movieguide® readers because families do not need another reason to feel helpless. They need practical authority to set boundaries before a child’s habits are shaped by companies that profit from constant engagement.
Movieguide® has previously covered new child-safety tools from Apple and other technology companies, but parental tools work best when paired with family conviction. A setting can block an app; it cannot teach wisdom by itself.
Pew said the proposal has bipartisan backing, with far more Republicans and Democrats supporting a ban than opposing it. Parents of children under 18 were more likely than nonparents to support all three narrower safeguards.
For Christian families, the question is not only whether social media is legal for a child. It is whether that child has the maturity, accountability and spiritual grounding to handle a world designed to compete for the heart.
Pew’s survey does not settle the policy debate. It does show that many adults now believe childhood deserves stronger protection than a terms-of-service checkbox.
That public mood should encourage parents who feel outnumbered by peer pressure. A family rule about phones and apps may feel strict at the dinner table, but Pew’s findings suggest many neighbors share the same concern.
The wisest homes will combine safeguards with presence. Children need fewer addictive feeds, but they also need parents, churches and friends who offer better places to belong.
Read Next: 20-Year-Old Suing Social Media Companies Speaks Out About Devastating Addiction
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