Survey: Social Media Age Ban More Popular With US, Australian Parents Than Kids
Majorities of U.S. and Australian parents back social media bans for children younger than 16, but kids fear losing friendship and support connections, the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) said Tuesday. Australia's under-16 social media ban takes effect Wednesday (see 2510100005).
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The survey of 4,000 parents and children aged 10-17 in the two countries showed "sharp generational divides in support, fears, mental health expectations, and belief in government enforcement," FOSI said.
The poll found that 65% of Australian parents and 57% of American parents support the ban, while only 38% of Australian and 36% of American kids back it, FOSI said. The gap raises the question of "why parents and kids view the potential impact so differently and what might be lost if children's concerns are overlooked?"
Children fear losing essential connections, while parents are less concerned about that, the survey found. Losing access to places where youngsters can feel part of a wider community highlights "the emotional dimension of the ban that many parents may underestimate."
Some parents support the ban because they hope it will protect kids' mental health, but parents and kids disagree on whether it will, the survey found. It also noted that minimum age bans don't necessarily reduce screen time, since kids use social media for communication, schoolwork and creativity as well as for entertainment and might wind up spending more time on digital platforms such as video games or text messaging.
Parents and children largely agreed that kids will find a way to circumvent the new restrictions, FOSI said. They also believed that there should be special teen accounts with stronger protections and guardrails, suggesting that families want solutions that prioritize safety without removing social media altogether, it added.