Millennials are the strongest supporters of a social media ban for under-16s in Jersey, with more than eight in ten backing restrictions modelled on measures introduced in the UK and Australia, a new poll has found.
The survey of 839 Jersey residents found that 82% of people aged 25 to 44 supported a ban on under-16s using social media platforms, making them the most supportive age group in the Island.
Overall, 72% of respondents said they would back the introduction of a ban, compared with 23% who opposed it and 5% who were undecided.
The findings, released by Island Global Research, found that women were more likely to favour a ban than men – with support standing at 77% among females and 64% among males.
Four out of five respondents with children under 18 supported the proposal, compared with 64% of those without children.
Support remained high among older generations, with 73% of Generation X respondents and 66% of Baby Boomers backing the measure.
The only age group to oppose the proposal was Generation Z, where 64% said they were against a ban and 28% in favour – although the survey notes that fewer than 30 Islanders of this age took part in the poll.
Respondents were asked whether Jersey should introduce “the same model as the UK and Australia” for restricting social media access for under-16s.
The poll was conducted between 17 and 22 June among Islanders aged 16 and over.
Jersey recorded the highest level of support among the four jurisdictions surveyed. Backing for a ban stood at 63% in Guernsey, 62% in the Isle of Man and 64% in Gibraltar.
It comes after the UK announced that social media platforms would be blocked from offering services to under-16s.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has since resigned from his post, described the move as “a line in the sand”.
“I’ve heard first-hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them,” he said. “That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.”
UK technology secretary Liz Kendall added: “Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act.
“That is why we are taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.”
The Jersey research highlighted the prevalence of social media use among children in the Island.
A third of parents said their children under the age of 10 use social media, while almost four in five said their children aged between 10 and 15 were users of platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X.