89% of parents support laws restricting kids from social media, survey found
MIAMI - Social media and teens seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.
And that's not a good thing according to their parents.
A new study by Security.org, which looks at security issues facing modern society with a focus on digital safety, found 89 percent of parents support laws requiring children under 18 to obtain parental permission before creating an account.
But that's not all. Not only do parents support legislation aimed at social media and the protection of their kids, but nearly every parent in the U.S. (98 percent) believes social media platforms are dangerous to users under 18; citing TikTok and Snapchat as the most dangerous
More than two-thirds of parents said that kids under nine shouldn't access social media.
Parents also overwhelmingly (91 percent) said they would support laws prohibiting social media from collecting personal data from children.
In addition to 89 percent supporting laws requiring the under-18 set to get parental permission before accessing social media, 85 percent believe they should have complete access to their kids' social media accounts. Their biggest worry is children being exposed to age-inappropriate content.
Meta recently announced it is adding new tools for parents to help monitor their teens' activities on social media. The features include controls on Messenger, so parents and guardians can see how much time their teens spend on the chat tool, view and receive updates on their contacts list, and get notified if their teen reports someone.
Similar supervision tools already exist on Instagram.
Another feature nudges teens to step away from Facebook after 20 minutes. Meta is introducing a similar tool to Instagram, that suggests teens close the app if they're scrolling too long during late hours.
Recently, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently posted an Advisory on concerns about the effects of social media and kids' mental health.