A sweeping majority of New Jersey voters believe social media is a primary driver behind the state’s youth mental health crisis and are calling for aggressive government intervention, according to a new poll released today by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.
The findings, released April 30, reveal a rare moment of near-unanimous public concern: 91% of voters believe social media plays a major role in the mental health challenges children face today. This sentiment is fueling a massive appetite for regulation, with 75% of respondents favoring stronger online protections for minors, even if those measures limit certain online freedoms.
The poll comes as Gov. Mikie Sherrill and state legislators push a new package of bills aimed at curbing the influence of tech giants. New Jerseyans showed staggering support for specific legislative guardrails:
- 93% favor stronger data privacy standards for minors.
- 88% support “black box” warning labels on content that could negatively impact mental health.
- 74% want increased government oversight of AI-driven algorithms that recommend content to children.
“There’s a clear political appetite for holding social media companies more accountable,” Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center said. “The poll shows voters want these guardrails prioritized.”
While the push for regulation is strong, New Jersey voters still view online safety as a collaborative effort. 68% of respondents believe that social media companies and parents should be equally responsible for protecting children. Only 19% believe the responsibility lies primarily with parents, and 12% place the burden solely on technology companies.
The data paints a picture of a worried electorate:
- 58% of voters view children’s mental health as a “very serious” problem.
- 77% are “very concerned” about children being exposed to harmful content online.
- 79% support increasing state funding for school-based mental health services to address the fallout.
The poll results provide a significant tailwind for the governor, who has made youth online safety a cornerstone of her administration. Sherrill recently proposed the creation of a Social Media Research Center and an Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness.
The governor has also signaled support for stricter controls on how platforms deliver content, specifically targeting the algorithms that keep young users engaged for hours. According to the Stockton poll, the public is ready for this oversight; 70% of respondents said they are familiar with how these AI-driven algorithms work, and a large majority want them regulated.
“Legislation often lags behind technology,” Maurice added, “and the poll shows voters are no longer willing to wait for the industry to self-regulate.”
