WASHINGTON, Oct 1 — A growing number of people think social media manipulates and divides people and harms democracy, the Pew Research Centre said on Thursday, echoing rising concern and tighter scrutiny across the world.
Companies running popular social platforms, including Meta, Snap, and TikTok, have faced thousands of lawsuits and paid large sums to settle claims that they harmed users. Meanwhile, governments have sought foolproof ways to protect their citizens’ privacy.
Australia has proposed rules to let users opt out of algorithmically recommended feeds, after becoming the first country to ban social media for children under 16. Pew’s latest survey showed that 82 per cent of Australian adults support the government's move to restrict social media access for children.
A majority of respondents said social media informs people and gives them a voice in politics, but the report also found a broad rise in those who now see social media as a "bad thing" compared to 2022.
People in wealthier countries, including the United States (US), Canada, and the United Kingdom, are more inclined to believe social media is harming democracy than their counterparts in economies with lower gross domestic product per capita — such as Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.
The US is among the most sceptical, with 64 per cent of adult respondents saying social media harms democracy. The share of people who consider social media bad for democracy increased in 16 of 26 countries where older data was available.
Pew Research said it surveyed more than 45,000 people in 37 countries and polled an additional 5,511 US adults on American social media use.
