60% of Russians Support a Social Media Ban for Children

The position of rejecting any regulation received minimal support — only 8% of respondents believe no restrictions should be introduced.

At the same time, Russians see more benefit than harm in such measures: 51% of survey participants hold this view. However, there is little faith that bans will actually work. The vast majority — 82% of respondents — are confident that children and teenagers will find a way to circumvent the introduced restrictions. Only 12% believe such measures will genuinely be effective.

Russians are responding to a global trend. France and Australia have already been gradually introducing social media bans for children below a certain age. It was previously reported that the European Commission intends to consider a plan to create a unified pan-European ban on children's use of social media.

For brands and advertisers, these data are a signal of a growing public demand for regulation of the digital environment for minors. If restrictions are ultimately introduced in Russia, the children's and teenage audience segment on social media could shrink significantly, which would require a rethink of marketing strategies targeting this group.