Nearly Half of Gen Z Wish TikTok Was Never Invented: US Poll

A new survey in the US has revealed a high level of anxiety among young adults from Generation Z (aged from 18 to 27) about the addictive nature of social media and smartphones.

The findings of the poll conducted in August with 1,006 Gen Zers – the first generation to grow up with social media – was that, while many of these individuals spent at least four hours a day on social media and modern devices, they now have very mixed feelings about its impacts on their lives and society.

The “most surprising result” of the Harris Poll, done in collaboration with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and his research team, was that nearly half said they wished TikTok (47%), Snapchat (43%) and X (formerly Twitter 50%) “were never invented”.

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That negative feedback was significantly higher than for other popular media outlets such as YouTube (15%), Netflix (17%), the internet (17%), messaging apps (19%) and smartphones (21%).

Haidt is the author of a book entitled The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, which has reportedly been classed as a bestseller by the New York Times.

Fortune said Haidt’s book had “resonated with tens of thousands of parents who are concerned about the addict-like behaviour of their kids when it comes to their smartphones.”

Haidt has said the amount of time young people in the survey admitted spending on social media was “astonishing.” For 60% of the people interviewed that was four hours a day, while nearly a quarter (23%) said seven or more hours a day.

Just over half (52%) said their lives had benefitted from social media, but 29% felt it had hurt them, while 44% of women and 47% of LGBTQ respondents said their mental health had suffered.

TikTok and X got the most votes in the survey in regard to wishing a platform “was never invented,” but Facebook (37%) and Instagram (34%) also rated highly.

Over a third (36%) supported a ban on social media for children under 16, but 69% backed the idea of a law the requires social media companies to have ‘child-safe’ options for those under 18 years of age.

An issue of growing concern

Social media impacts on children has been an issue of growing concern in the US.

In May 2023 the Biden-Harris Administration announced a task force to promote a safer and more healthy environment for when youths go online. It also asked that body to identify ways to help minors avoid or deal with adverse health impacts effects from use of online platforms.

That led to the Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force releasing a major report in July this year on best practices both for families and the industry.

The Task Force called for greater industry accountability and for Congress to pass a law to protect children who go online, the Kids Online Safety Act. The KOSA law was opposed by Meta, but backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Federation of Teachers.

The bill, which would create a “duty of care” for companies operating a platform – they would be obligated to take reasonable steps to prevent harm for minor users — won overwhelming support in the US Senate in late July, but still has to go to the Lower House.

President Biden has said he would sign the law, if the House passes it, according to The Guardian.

“We need action by Congress to protect our kids online and hold Big Tech accountable for the national experiment they are running on our children for profit,” he was quoted as saying.

Instagram announces teen accounts

And that attitude appears to be shared by leaders in other nations.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese said last week his government plans to set a minimum age limit for children – likely to be between 14 and 16 – to use social media by late this year.

Parents want young teenage children off social media, he said, because of concerns about their mental and physical health.

These developments may have forced Meta to make some concessions.

On Wednesday, it said that Instagram would make changes to teen accounts – giving parents the ability to set daily time limits for using the app; blocking teens from using Instagram at certain times; and allowing parents to see accounts children exchange messages with and the content categories they view.

But Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said children’s online activity is still a focus of concern, so it will proceed with its plan to introduce age minimum laws for social media later this year.