Nearly all New Jersey voters believe social media is playing a major role in the mental health challenges facing children today, and large majorities support stronger regulations on online platforms, according to a new poll released by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.
The poll found that 58% of New Jersey voters view children’s mental health as a “very serious” problem, while another 31% consider it “somewhat serious.” An overwhelming 91% said social media is having a major impact on the issue, and 77% said they are very concerned about children being exposed to harmful content online.
That concern is translating into broad support for government action. Three in four voters, 75%, said they support stronger regulations to protect children online, even if those rules limit some online freedoms. Just 17% said protecting online freedom should take priority over additional safeguards for minors.
The findings come as New Jersey lawmakers consider a package of bills aimed at tightening oversight of social media platforms. The proposals would require stronger default privacy settings for minors, restrict certain advertising practices targeting underage users, and add “black box” warning labels about possible mental health risks.
According to the poll, 93% of voters favor requiring social media companies to meet stronger data privacy standards for minors. Another 88% support warning labels on content that may negatively affect children’s mental health, while 79% back increased funding for school-based mental health services in New Jersey.
“There’s a clear political appetite for holding social media companies more accountable when it comes to protecting children online and addressing the youth mental health crisis that’s emerged in recent years,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center. “Legislation often lags behind technology, and the poll shows voters want these guardrails prioritized.”
Voters also appear to view online safety as a shared responsibility. 68 percent said both parents and social media companies should be equally responsible for protecting children online, compared with 19% who said parents should be primarily responsible and 12% who said technology companies should bear most of the responsibility.
The issue has become a central focus for Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who has called for greater scrutiny of social media algorithms and stronger safeguards for minors. During a recent news conference, Sherrill highlighted proposals to invest in a new Social Media Research Center and create an Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness.
The poll found that 70% of respondents were at least somewhat familiar with how AI-driven algorithms are used by social media platforms to recommend content. Nearly three in four voters, 74%, said they support increased government oversight of how AI is used to suggest content to children, while 18% were opposed.
Support for stronger protections was broad across the electorate, with parents and nonparents expressing similar levels of concern. The poll also found bipartisan support for nearly every proposed safeguard, though Democrats and Republicans differed sharply on school-based mental health funding. Ninety-three percent of Democrats supported increasing funding for those services, compared with 59% of Republicans.
Women showed higher levels of concern about children’s mental health and online safety than men, and were more likely to support stronger oversight of social media platforms. Still, majorities across gender lines said they were concerned about the issue and supported the proposed protections.
