Parents Overwhelmingly Back Meta Settlement, States Enacting Similar Social Media Limits For Youths

The Washington Times
Lindsey McPherson
September 4, 2026

Four out of five parents support the recent Meta settlement that will implement new restrictions on teens’ Instagram and Facebook accounts, according to a new poll.

Parents also told the pollsters they want to see states enact similar policies to protect kids online.

The poll, commissioned by the Coalition to Empower our Future and shared first with The Washington Times, found that 81% of 1,000 parents surveyed nationwide support the restrictions Meta agreed to implement as part of a settlement agreement with 47 state attorneys general.

The question prompting that response identified key aspects of the agreement: daily screen time limits for users under age 18, nighttime blocks between midnight and 6 a.m., muted push notifications during school hours, revamped age verification checks and expanded parental controls.

Only 13% of parents responded that they opposed the settlement agreement, while 6% said they were unsure.

The support and opposition fell fairly consistently along party lines, with only a few percentage points difference between Republican and Democratic parents’ responses to any question.

“There’s no single solution to the challenges young people are facing, but giving parents more tools and helping young people build healthier habits with technology are important pieces of a broader, comprehensive approach,” Coalition to Empower our Future Executive Director Glen Weiner said.

The coalition includes mental health experts and nonprofits, parents, youth, educators, policymakers and industry leaders to advocate for policies to improve youth mental health.