Pew: More and more people believe social media harms democracy

A growing number of people around the world believe that social media manipulates and divides people and harms democracy, according to a new Pew Research Center study, as Reuters reports.

The companies behind popular platforms, including Meta, Snap and TikTok, have faced thousands of lawsuits in recent years and have paid large sums to settle claims that they harm users.

Australia proposed rules allowing users to opt out of algorithmic feeds, after becoming the first country to ban social media for children under 16; the Pew study showed that 82% of Australian adults support this measure.

A majority of respondents say social media informs people and gives them a voice in politics, but compared with 2022, there is a broad rise in those who see it as a “bad thing”. People in wealthier countries, including the US, Canada and Britain, are more likely to believe social media harms democracy, compared with countries with lower GDP per capita such as Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

The US is among the most sceptical countries, with 64% of adults saying social media harms democracy; the share holding this view rose in 16 of the 26 countries where older data existed. Pew surveyed more than 45,000 people in 37 countries, plus 5,511 American adults on social media use in the US.