More than half (59%) of U.S. voters want a social media ban similar to the one passed in Australia last month that bans children under 16 from using the platform, a new Quinnipiac University poll shows. I understand.
The Australian law affects social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X and Reddit, but does not apply to YouTube.
According to public opinion pollAround six in 10 respondents wanted a ban similar to Australia's, while 31 per cent said they were opposed.
The survey found that most groups supported a similar ban, with the exception of voters aged 18 to 34, who were split in their responses. According to the poll, 50% of voters in the same age group supported a similar ban, while 46% said they did not support it.
The poll comes on the heels of the Supreme Court's announcement that it will consider whether a law banning TikTok nationwide violates the First Amendment.
In an order issued Wednesday, the court announced that it will hold oral arguments on Jan. 10 on the video-sharing platform's motion to invalidate a law requiring divestment from its Chinese parent company. The social media platform had filed an emergency application with a judge earlier this week asking the judge to extend the Jan. 19 deadline for a sale or ban.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted from Dec. 12 to 16 among 924 self-identified registered voters nationwide. The margin of error was 3.2 percentage points.
