A recent Rasmussen Reports survey shows that 57 percent of American adults believe social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are unsafe for children and teenagers.
WHY IT MATTERS– The topic of social media safety for children is crucial because of the potential risks and concerns for young users, the need for safety measures and education, and the responsibility of social media companies to provide a secure online environment.
IS CENSORSHIP AN ANSWER? – The Rasmussen Reports survey shows Americans deem social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter unsafe for minors, with a growing number open to censorship of offensive content.
The poll taken from April 17-19, 2023, revealed:
- 44 percent – believe it’s better for the owners of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to allow free speech without interference.
- 41 percent – believe it’s better for social media sites to regulate what is posted to make sure some people are not offended.
- 15 percent – are unsure.
In January 2022, 51 percent favored free speech without interference on social media, indicating a decline in support for a “Wild West” free-speech frontier on social media.
The poll revealed partisan differences in preference for free speech on social media:
- 30 percent of Democrats – favor free speech without interference on social media
- 63 percent of Republicans – favor free speech without interference on social media
- 41 percent of unaffiliated individuals – favor free speech without interference on social media
PARTY OPINIONS ON SAFTEY OF MINORS ON SOCIAL MEDIA – The Rasmussen Reports survey asked Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated individuals how safe social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are for children and teenagers are.
- 49 percent – of Democrats believe social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are at least somewhat safe for children and teenagers
- 33 percent – of Republicans believe social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are at least somewhat safe for children and teenagers
- 35 percent – of unaffiliated individuals believe social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are at least somewhat safe for children and teenagers
- 8 percent – of Democrats think social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are Not at All Safe for minors
- 21 percent – of Republicans think social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are Not at All Safe for minors
- 18 percent – of unaffiliated individuals think social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are Not at All Safe for minors
BOTTOM LINE- A majority of American adults think that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are not safe for minors and a majority see censorship as solution.
GO DEEPER-
CEPA- Struggling to Protect Minors on Social Media
POLITICO- Where parental snooping is becoming the law
The survey of 1,004 American Adults was conducted on April 17-19, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.