No, 90% of Parents Don't Support an Under-16 Social Media Ban — The Real Numbers Are Lower
“Approximately 90% of parents support an under-16 ban on social media”
The argument in brief
Advocates for social media age restrictions have claimed roughly 90% of parents support banning under-16s from these platforms, but no major nationally representative poll backs that figure. The verdict is partially false. Credible surveys from Gallup, Pew, Reuters, and others consistently put parental support in the 55–81% range, depending on the age threshold and how the question is asked.
Data: Gallup/IFS, Reuters/Ipsos, YouGov, Common Sense Media (2023)
Why it spread
The 90% figure is persuasive because child safety online is a genuine and widely shared concern, so a near-unanimous number feels intuitively right. Advocates pushing for age restriction laws also have a clear incentive to cite the highest available figure to make their case seem unassailable and to pressure legislators. When a statistic confirms what people already believe, it rarely gets questioned.
The claim circulating in policy debates and news coverage is that approximately 90% of parents support banning children under 16 from social media. It sounds like a landslide consensus. The problem is that no major, nationally representative poll actually found that number.
The closest figure in the data comes from a 2023 Gallup and Institute for Family Studies poll, which found 81% of parents supported a ban for children under 13 — a strong majority, but still not 90%, and it applies to a younger age group. When the same poll asked about banning teens aged 13 to 17, support dropped to 55%. That gap matters enormously, because under-16 policies sit right in the middle of that range.
Other major surveys tell a similar story. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70% of Americans overall supported age restrictions on social media for minors under 18. YouGov polling for The Economist found roughly 70% backed requiring age verification. Common Sense Media surveys put parental support for stricter age-based restrictions at around 66–72%. Pew Research found about 61% of parents of teens were extremely or very concerned about social media's impact. These are meaningful numbers — but they are not 90%.
To be fair to the strongest version of this claim: parental concern about social media is real, broad, and well-documented across every poll. Support is genuinely high, especially for protecting younger children. The 90% figure isn't invented from thin air — it likely comes from a narrowly worded or non-representative survey, or from misreading data about under-13 bans and applying it to a wider age group. The direction of the evidence is real; the specific number is inflated.
This kind of overstatement spreads because it makes opposition to age restrictions look fringe or reckless. If 90% of parents agree, anyone pushing back seems to be ignoring an overwhelming mandate. Watching for suspiciously round, high consensus figures — especially without a named, transparent polling source — is a good habit when evaluating policy claims like this one.
Sources
- Gallup/Institute for Family Studies Poll (2023)
A 2023 Gallup/IFS poll found that 81% of parents supported a ban on social media for children under 13, and 55% supported a ban for those aged 13-17, but not a blanket 90% figure for under-16.
- Pew Research Center (2024)
Pew Research found that about 61% of parents of teens said they were extremely or very concerned about social media's impact, and a majority supported restrictions, but figures did not reach 90% for an under-16 ban specifically.
- Common Sense Media / Survey Monkey Poll (2023)
Common Sense Media polling showed strong parental concern about social media for minors, with roughly 66-72% of parents supporting stricter age-based restrictions, not 90%.
- YouGov / The Economist Poll (2023)
YouGov polling found approximately 70% of U.S. adults (not just parents) supported requiring age verification for social media, with parental support somewhat higher but not reaching 90%.
- Reuters/Ipsos Poll (2023)
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 70% of Americans overall supported age restrictions on social media for minors under 18, with parental support higher but still not at 90%.