Pollsters Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now have run a poll for the Daily Telegraph on whether to ban social media for under-16s and on children's use of smartphones, in light of recent policy discussions.
Fieldwork was conducted from 22-25 November 2024, with a sample size of over 2,000 people. Respondents were first polled on their stance on the proposed minimum age of 16 for access to social media, then asked whether they agree with a potential ban of smartphones in school and, lastly, a potential general ban of smartphones for children.
The main findings are:
Below you can find a results breakdown for each question of the poll and what the data conveys.
| Response | All | 18-24 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raising The Minimum Age To 16 is A Good Idea | 67% | 56% | 70% |
| The Current Minimum Age Of 13 is About Right | 17% | 23% | 11% |
| The Minimum Age Should Be lower Than 13 | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| We Should Remove This Rule And Let all Children Use Social Media | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Don't Know | 12% | 16% | 12% |
Figures exclude those who refused to answer
The results show that there is overall support for raising the minimum age for access to social media. Despite diverging opinions that surfaced against the proposed new regulation over the past week, 67% of Britons believe that 16 years old is an appropriate minimum age for accessing social media, while only 17% believe that the current age of 13 is still adequate.
Across age groups, there seems to be a generational divide between young adults and the elderly, with 70% of people aged 65 and over agreeing with the age of 16, as opposed to only 56% of people between 18 and 24. Young adults are more approving of the current age of 13 than the national average (23% of people aged 18 to 24 compared to 17% of the entire population), but are also slightly more undecided on the matter (16% of young adults compared to the 12% national average).
| Response | All | 18-24 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree Strongly | 48% | 21% | 63% |
| Agree | 32% | 24% | 30% |
| Neither Agree nor Disagree | 7% | 17% | 3% |
| Disagree | 6% | 21% | 1% |
| Disagree Strongly | 2% | 6% | 1% |
| Don't Know | 5% | 10% | 2% |
| Net Agree | 80% | 45% | 93% |
| Net Disagree | 8% | 28% | 2% |
Figures exclude those who refused to answer
There is an undeniable agreement amongst Britons on banning the use of smartphones in schools, with 80% agreeing and only 8% being against.
The age divide is even stronger in this case, with 93% of people aged 65 and over agreeing with the ban, as opposed to only 45% of people aged 18 to 24. Similarly, only 2% of elders disagree with the smartphone ban, compared to 28% of young adults.
| Response | All | 18-24 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agree Strongly | 9% | 4% | 10% |
| Agree | 12% | 10% | 15% |
| Neither Agree nor Disagree | 17% | 13% | 21% |
| Disagree | 40% | 36% | 38% |
| Disagree Strongly | 14% | 27% | 8% |
| Don't Know | 7% | 10% | 7% |
| Net Agree | 21% | 14% | 26% |
| Net Disagree | 54% | 64% | 46% |
Figures exclude those who refused to answer
When asked about a general ban of smartphones for children, however, Britons tend to resist, with 54% being against it, 21% being in favour, and 17% being undecided.
This goes to show that, despite the desire across the country for a more supervised and regulated use of social media amongst children, people still perceive some need for smartphones in children's lives.
Find Out Now polled 2,024 GB adults online between 22-25 November 2024. The sample was weighted to be representative by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns. Regression techniques were used to infer projected seat results.
Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
Data tables for this poll are available here.
Electoral Calculus is a pollster and political consultancy specialising in quantitative analysis and modelling for electoral and other market research projects. It has successfully predicted UK general elections since 2010. It was founded by Martin Baxter, its CEO.
Electoral Calculus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules, and is a company partner of the Market Research Society.
Find Out Now is a polling and market research panel with 2.8 million members. Highly profiled respondents can be targeted instantly, with over 100,000 daily responses allowing the delivery of same-day nationally representative sampling.
Find Out Now are a member of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules, and are a company partner of the Market Research Society.