A new survey finds strong support among parents for new social media safeguards designed to give families more tools to protect teens online.
The research, released by the Coalition to Empower Our Future, found that 81% of parents nationwide support the recent agreement between states and Meta to implement additional online safety measures. The survey found support across the political spectrum, with similar levels of support among Democratic and Republican parents.
The agreement includes expanded parental controls, daily screen-time limits, overnight restrictions, muted push notifications during school hours and enhanced age-assurance measures for younger users.
Glenn Weiner, executive director of the Coalition to Empower Our Future, said parents also believe the measures could have a positive impact on youth mental health and well-being.
The survey found 77% of parents support muting social media notifications during school hours, while 80% support putting similar online safety measures into state law.
Parents also want the protections to extend beyond Meta platforms.
More than four in five surveyed parents said other social media companies should adopt similar safeguards. That includes support for measures on TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat. The survey found 85% of Democratic parents and 86% of Republican parents support other platforms implementing the same types of protections.
Weiner said consistency across platforms is important because young people often use multiple social media services.
The survey was conducted Aug. 28 through Aug. 31 among 1,000 parents nationwide in partnership with Mercury Analytics. The Coalition to Empower Our Future says the research is part of its broader effort to promote solutions addressing youth mental health and technology use.
Weiner encouraged parents and others interested in the issue to learn more about the research and participate in the ongoing discussion through the Coalition to Empower Our Future.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
