Something shifted this year. In July 2026, Pew Research Center found that more Americans support than oppose banning kids under 16 from social media, and that support held across major demographic and political groups. About 85% said social media companies should require parental consent for minors to open an account. Pew also found that more Americans now support than oppose all-day cellphone bans in schools.

Other countries have already moved. Australia’s under-16 social media ban is reshaping school phone rules there. And states including California have required schools to limit or ban smartphones.

What parents are seeing at home

Laws are one thing. Your living room is another. The parents I coach describe the same patterns: kids who can’t fall asleep, kids comparing their bodies to filtered strangers, kids who melt down when the phone is taken away, and kids being shown content no child should see.

Teens themselves are noticing it, too. In Pew’s research, a good share of teens admit they spend too much time on their phones and social media.

You don’t have to wait for a law

Whatever the government decides, you’re allowed to set rules in your own home.

• Delay the first account. The later, the better. Group chats with real friends are a gentler start than public feeds.
• No phones in bedrooms overnight. Charge them in the kitchen. Sleep is protective.
• Know the apps. Have your child show you what they use and who they follow, without punishment for being honest.
• Talk about the algorithm. Explain that apps are designed to keep them scrolling, and that what they’re shown isn’t real life.
• Model it. If we’re on our phones all through dinner, our rules sound hollow.

Connection beats control

Rules work best when kids feel close to you. The goal isn’t to win a war over the phone. It’s to stay the person your child comes to when something online goes wrong.

You don’t have to figure this out alone

Book a free discovery call with a Life Coaching Today parenting coach: Find a Coach.

📕 Red Flags: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Dating in the Manosphere by Georgia Ann Hunter Jones and Kiddada Asmara Grey. Get your copy here.

Just Ask Maxx is a Master Relationship Coach, Master Hypnotherapist, Certified NLP Practitioner and Certified Divorce Mediator with Life Coaching Today. Email justaskmaxx@gmail.com or call 215-888-5362.