Should kids be on social media? A new poll says most adults don’t think so

Do you think kids should have their own social media accounts? A new poll shows that a majority of adults in the U.S. don’t think so.

More than 75% of Americans don’t think that kids under 13 should be using social media, according to a new Yahoo News and You Gov poll.

So when should they be allowed to start signing up for accounts? The poll found that 53% of the more than 1,500 adults respondents (with a margin of error of 2.7%) said between the ages of 14 and 17, and 32% said no one under 18 should be signing up.

Only 12% said between the ages of 10 and 13, and 3% agreed that under the age of 10 is appropriate.

Three-quarters of those who responded said that social media has a negative impact on the mental health of kids and 44% said that social media has a negative impact on their own mental health.

Most social media platforms currently allow teens to join at 13.

The survey, which was conducted by YouGov, used a nationally representative sample
of 1,520 U.S. adults interviewed online between May 25 and May 30.

Researchers said the sample was weighted according to “gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and Presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status.”

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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