The impact of social media has become such an issue that a clear majority of parents in Great Britain would support children under 16 being banned from using it. Most of them believe that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more have a negative impact on kids and young teens. This comes off the heels of Australia enforcing a ban of 10 major social media platforms for children under 16 back in December 2025.
Meanwhile here in the States, a recent survey shows that Americans are not as sure about a social media ban, but most would still support a measure like this.
Majority of GB parents say social media has a negative impact on children
77% of GB parents with children under 18 and 76% of all Britons say they would support banning children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts, according to a June 2026 study by YouGov. This is based on responses from 2,102 adults in Great Britain, with 350 of them being parents with children under the age of 18.
A vast majority believe that social media usage has a fairly negative (34%) or very negative (48%) impact on children under 16.
That said, they are dubious on whether a social media ban like this would be effective. 45% of parents with children under 18 say it would be very effective or quite effective, but 46% say it will not be very effective or won’t be effective at all.
As for who should be “doing more” about protecting children from the negative effects of social media, many target their ire toward social media companies (71%), parents in general (48%), and the government (43%).
However, parents admit that there are many obstacles in trying to manage their children’s use of social media. 54% say it’s impossible to monitor their online activity all the time, and 46% find it tough to find the right balance between monitoring them and respecting their independence. 46% believe that their friends and peers are pressuring them into using social media, while 39% are worried that their children will feel excluded if they aren’t allowed on social media platforms.
As a point of comparison, 56% of American adults say they would support a similar social media ban for children, according to a Pew Research study conducted between May 26 and June 1. 21% would oppose the measure and 23% are not sure about it.
Support for this ban is broad, spanning generations (52% support from those aged 18 to 30, 49% from those age 65 or over) and political partisan groups (59% Republican and 54% Democrat).
Per Politico, a similar measure in California that would restrict teens under 16 from accessing certain features on social media, like infinite scrolling and autoplaying videos on YouTube, passed the state Legislature on August 31.
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