NJ voters strongly support social media regulations for kids, Stockton poll finds
The poll also found that 91% of voters believe social media has a major impact on children’s mental health challenges.
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A large majority of New Jersey voters support stronger regulations on social media platforms to protect children online, according to a Stockton University poll released April 30.
The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy poll found that 75% of voters support stronger regulations to protect children online, even if those rules limit some online freedoms. Seventeen percent said protecting online freedom should take priority over additional safeguards.
The poll also found that 91% of voters believe social media has a major impact on children’s mental health challenges. Most voters said children’s mental health is either a very serious problem, at 58%, or somewhat serious, at 31%.
Voters also supported several proposed safeguards. Ninety-three percent favor stronger data privacy standards for minors, 88% support warning labels on content that may negatively affect children’s mental health and 79% support increased funding for school-based mental health services.
The poll found bipartisan support for most measures, though Democrats and Republicans differed on school-based mental health funding. Ninety-three percent of Democrats supported increased funding, compared with 59% of Republicans.
“There’s a clear political appetite for holding social media companies more accountable when it comes to protecting children online and addressing the youth mental health crisis that’s emerged in recent years,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center.
The poll of 642 registered voters was conducted April 21-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
