New Poll: 3 in 4 Americans Back Federal Bill to Hold Social Media Apps Accountable for Kids' Safety
A new national poll shows three in four Americans support a federal bill that would make social media apps responsible for keeping minors off their platforms without parental approval, and the numbers barely budge no matter how you slice the data.
The survey found 75% of Americans support the Parents Over Platforms Act (POPA) while only 6% oppose it.
The bill got a fresh shot of momentum last week when Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced it in the United States Senate. Companion legislation is already moving in the House, sponsored by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) and Erin Houchin (R-Ind.).
Why it matters in North Carolina
North Carolina parents don't need a national poll to tell them something is wrong. Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill's Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development found earlier this year that students in schools without strong phone policies spend roughly a third of their school day on their phones and the majority of that time is on social media apps. That's not a Washington talking point, these are North Carolina kids in North Carolina classrooms. The state has been trying to plug the gaps on its own. Gov. Josh Stein signed a law in July 2025 that went into effect this year requiring every public school to ban phones during instructional time and block social media on school-issued devices. Wake County schools revised their tech policies entirely to comply. Charlotte-area educators reported improved socialization almost immediately after it took effect.But critics of the patchwork approach and POPA's supporters argue that all of that still leaves the door open after 3 p.m. The apps themselves face no obligation to keep kids out.
What the bill would do
POPA would require app stores to verify users' ages and give parents the tools to approve or block apps for their kids. It would also limit targeted advertising to minors, restrict access to adult content, and hand enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission. Crucially, it would largely preempt the patchwork of state laws that have cropped up across the country.
In North Carolina, the state's House of Representatives passed its own social media protections bill for minors under 16 in 2025 (HB 301), but the legislation has stalled. If POPA becomes law, federal rules would take precedence, which limits a scenario where there are patchwork laws across the country.
Where the public stands
The most striking finding of the poll of 1,000 likely general election voters, conducted March 16-18 by Plymouth Union Public Research, isn't the headline POPA number. It's how consistent support for the proposal is across every demographic.
Republicans (78%) and Democrats (76%) are essentially in lockstep. Trump voters (78%) and Harris voters (75%) land in the same neighborhood. Even the youngest adults ages 18-29, who are the most skeptical group, still support it at 68%.
On the underlying question of who should be responsible for verifying a user's age before they can download social media, voters are equally clear: 57% say the app itself bears that responsibility, versus just 24% who say it should fall on the app store. That 57-24 split holds across gender, party, and ideology.
"Requiring app stores and app developers to put safeguards in place will support efforts to bolster protections for minors as they navigate an online environment that is too often harmful for young children," Moran said in a statement announcing the senate bill.
Sen. Rosen framed it similarly: "Certain apps pose real risks to children and teens, and we have a responsibility to keep our children safe when they go online or use social media."
Parental buy-in is nearly universal
The poll also found that 82% of Americans believe children under 18 need parental approval before downloading social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. That number barely shifts across demographic groups either, suggesting the appetite for action extends well beyond POPA itself.
Sixty percent of respondents said parents should take the lead in keeping kids off social media, with 32% putting more responsibility on tech companies. From Raleigh to Washington, the message is the same: parents should be in charge of their kids' online lives. The Parents Over Platforms Act makes that a national standard.
