By Reyhaneh Mansouri
Social media is affecting teens in different ways. 40% of American parents believe these effects are more negative than positive. They are seeing behaviors like compulsive use, sleep disruption, anxiety or excessive worry connected to their children’s social media usage, that’s why many parents have restrictions for their children.
On the other hand, 65% of parents also reported concerns about social media putting their children at risk of cyberbullying, harassment, or predatory behavior. They also are worried about inappropriate or harmful content (59%) and exposure to misinformation or deepfake content (56%).
These are the reasons for all parents to be positive toward social media ban rules.
While the parents agree on a need for social media ban rules, they are far from comfortable with any of the proposed age verification methods. According to this survey, 44% of them reject every proposed method and even the most acceptable one, using a digital wallet, doesn't get over 24%.
Their main distress about these methods is privacy (46%) which is aligned with their concerns about social media itself. Even 1 in 10 American parents are more worried about the potential for government overreach and the loss of family privacy than social media’s harms.
It is also worth mentioning that Northeastern parents are three times more likely than Western parents to worry about whether verification technology would actually work and Western parents are more focused on what happens to their data once submitted.
The majority of parents agree to ban rules, so maybe the problem is not the need for a policy itself. If the social media companies find a verification method that could respect the privacy of children and family, enforcing the rules could be more practical and easier.
To make any ban rule effective, this could be a hint for big tech companies and policy makers. The survey suggests that privacy-respecting verification could be the missing piece; parents are willing to take responsibility, but they need a tool that doesn't compromise the very thing they're trying to protect.
Rules like “House Bill 301” shows that policy makers are already considering this. House Bill 301 would prohibit social media platforms from allowing anyone 13 years or older and younger from having a social media account. Children who are 14 and 15 years old would need parent or guardian consent to open an account. The bill would fine social media companies up to $50,000 for each time a younger teen sets up an account against the law's provisions. Families of those children, under the bill, could sue companies for the violation, up to $10,000.
Based on this survey, parents of very heavy user children (over 4 hours a day), and kids between 12-15 years old, are the most certain that their kid will find a way to continue using social media (58% and 45%). This is 39ppt and 25 ppt higher than the most optimistic parents that their kids are very light users (less than 30 minutes a day) or they are 10-12 years old (19% and 25%).
It seems that if the rules only exist and address the social media companies, kids may find a way around it using other tools.
Author bio: Reyhaneh Mansouri is a research writer and digital PR Specialist at Omni Calculator, where she turns data into stories that help people and journalists. She uses her extensive experience as an academic researcher to create original studies. Email contact: rey.mansouri@omnicalculator.com.
Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
Read next:
• Privacy isn’t dead – it’s just that tech companies have made it inconvenient
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The Consensus Behind the Ban
According to a recent Omni Calculator survey, 66% of American parents support a social media ban law for their children under 16 and it’s similar for parents from every generation, gender, and region. This support grows with the child's age, and hit the top at 71% for parents of 16 years olds.Social media is affecting teens in different ways. 40% of American parents believe these effects are more negative than positive. They are seeing behaviors like compulsive use, sleep disruption, anxiety or excessive worry connected to their children’s social media usage, that’s why many parents have restrictions for their children.
On the other hand, 65% of parents also reported concerns about social media putting their children at risk of cyberbullying, harassment, or predatory behavior. They also are worried about inappropriate or harmful content (59%) and exposure to misinformation or deepfake content (56%).
These are the reasons for all parents to be positive toward social media ban rules.
The Verification Problem
Here is where data gets complicated.While the parents agree on a need for social media ban rules, they are far from comfortable with any of the proposed age verification methods. According to this survey, 44% of them reject every proposed method and even the most acceptable one, using a digital wallet, doesn't get over 24%.
Their main distress about these methods is privacy (46%) which is aligned with their concerns about social media itself. Even 1 in 10 American parents are more worried about the potential for government overreach and the loss of family privacy than social media’s harms.
It is also worth mentioning that Northeastern parents are three times more likely than Western parents to worry about whether verification technology would actually work and Western parents are more focused on what happens to their data once submitted.
The majority of parents agree to ban rules, so maybe the problem is not the need for a policy itself. If the social media companies find a verification method that could respect the privacy of children and family, enforcing the rules could be more practical and easier.
Who's Responsible?
American parents point the finger at themselves and 94% say parents and guardians hold primary responsibility. 1 in 3 parents believe that social media companies should take the main responsibility, while only 9% put the responsibility on federal and state governments. Parents know that even with rules and regulations, they are the final point of enforcing them, therefore the majority of responsibility falls on their shoulders.To make any ban rule effective, this could be a hint for big tech companies and policy makers. The survey suggests that privacy-respecting verification could be the missing piece; parents are willing to take responsibility, but they need a tool that doesn't compromise the very thing they're trying to protect.
While parental consensus on responsibility is strong, the data shows important nuance. Nearly half of parents (or 46% to be exact) are neutral or mixed in their views on social media’s overall impact, and 16% oppose a ban altogether. This suggests broad support exists, but not uniform agreement on urgency or outcomes.
Rules like “House Bill 301” shows that policy makers are already considering this. House Bill 301 would prohibit social media platforms from allowing anyone 13 years or older and younger from having a social media account. Children who are 14 and 15 years old would need parent or guardian consent to open an account. The bill would fine social media companies up to $50,000 for each time a younger teen sets up an account against the law's provisions. Families of those children, under the bill, could sue companies for the violation, up to $10,000.
Will Kids Find a Way Around It Anyway?
Despite the agreement on the need for ban rules, nearly 2 in 5 parents think their child will bypass the ban with available tools like VPNs and the same number think they won't. So the rules not only should include social media but also the tools and methods that may help children find a way around them.Based on this survey, parents of very heavy user children (over 4 hours a day), and kids between 12-15 years old, are the most certain that their kid will find a way to continue using social media (58% and 45%). This is 39ppt and 25 ppt higher than the most optimistic parents that their kids are very light users (less than 30 minutes a day) or they are 10-12 years old (19% and 25%).
It seems that if the rules only exist and address the social media companies, kids may find a way around it using other tools.
Methodology
This article is based on a survey done by Omni Calculator on 505 US parents and guardians who had at least one child aged 10 to 16 at home in May 2026.Author bio: Reyhaneh Mansouri is a research writer and digital PR Specialist at Omni Calculator, where she turns data into stories that help people and journalists. She uses her extensive experience as an academic researcher to create original studies. Email contact: rey.mansouri@omnicalculator.com.
Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
Read next:
• Privacy isn’t dead – it’s just that tech companies have made it inconvenient
• ChatGPT Loses Share of App Downloads As Competition Intensifies
