Social media companies are facing growing pressure over young people’s use of their platforms, as California and other states consider or enact age-based restrictions. A new Pew Research poll suggests public opinion is shifting as well: A majority of U.S. adults support banning children under 16 from using social media. More than half of respondents favored such a ban, about a quarter were unsure and 1 in 5 opposed it.
A wave of legislation in the U.S. and abroad seeks to limit minors’ access to social media through measures such as outright bans (as in Australia), mandatory age verification or requiring parental consent. Other proposals would hold social media companies liable for alleged harm to minors using their platforms, require warning labels or restrict algorithms that critics argue are addictive or harmful to young users.
Lawmakers in more than half of all U.S. states have introduced legislation aimed at limiting children’s access to social media. California has been at the forefront. In 2024, the state passed Senate Bill 976, which bars social media companies from providing “addictive feeds” and notifications to minors during school hours or at night without parental consent. The law also requires social media companies to provide parents with tools to manage their children’s use of the platforms.
In 2025, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act, which establishes new age-verification requirements for operating system and application developers. Beginning 2027, the law will require device manufacturers and app store operators to assign users to age categories before allowing access to social media and certain other online services. Supporters say the measure will better protect children online. Critics of this measure argue that so-called “age-gating” and similar restrictions threaten the privacy of both minors and adults, by requiring users to provide personal details to verify their identities, and could infringe on minors’ free speech rights.
California lawmakers are also considering legislation that would bar children under 16 from having accounts on social media platforms. Assembly Bill 1709 would also create an “e-Safety Advisory Commission” that would report to the state attorney general. The bill passed the state Assembly with bipartisan support, and will now be considered by the state Senate.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.