The Science is Not Settled: How Weak Evidence is Fueling a National Push to Ban Social Media for Youth

"As statehouses ramp up for 2026, we're seeing a familiar and concerning trend of lawmakers rushing to regulate the internet based on shockingly shaky science. From the California State Assembly to the Massachusetts and legislatures , a wave of bills is crashing against the digital lives of young people, with proponents of these measures framing social media access as a "public health epidemic," or a "mental health crisis," even though we have yet to see any of the settled science that those labels usually invoke."

"EFF's expertise lies in reminding lawmakers that young people enjoy largely the same free speech and privacy rights as adults. EFF is not a social science research shop, but we can read the emerging research. What that research shows is much more nuanced than what is claimed by those proposing to ban young people from social media, and it is clear that research and theories used to justify these sweeping bans is far from settled."

"The current legislative push relies heavily on a specific, media-friendly narrative that the "great rewiring" of the adolescent brain is a proven fact. This theory suggests that smartphones and social media are the primary, if not sole, drivers of a global uptick in teen anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self harm, etc. While this narrative makes for a compelling airport-bookstore read, it quickly collapses under the scrutiny of the broader scientific community."

"Additionally, the studies used to support these measures often fail to account for or exclude significant alternative explanations for risin"

State lawmakers are preparing for 2026 with bills aimed at regulating or restricting internet access for young people. Proponents frame social media use as a public health epidemic or mental health crisis, despite lacking settled scientific evidence. A digital rights perspective emphasizes that young people have largely the same free speech and privacy rights as adults. The justification for sweeping bans relies on a popular narrative that smartphones and social media “rewire” adolescent brains and drive rising mental health problems. The broader scientific community has not validated this claim, and supporting studies are described as statistically flawed and insufficiently rigorous, often failing to consider alternative explanations for trends in youth mental health.

Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation