“We grew up with it & we regret It” – Gen Z calls out the harms of social media.

They were the first generation to grow up fully online — and now many are raising the alarm on the platforms that shaped their childhood.

A major new survey of over 1,700 16–24-year-olds reveals a sobering reality: Gen Z believes social media is toxic, addictive, and unsafe — and that urgent reform is needed.

Anna McShane, Director of The New Britain Project:
“Young people themselves are saying social media has become more addictive, more negative and more harmful. They’ve grown up with it and now they’re warning us.”

This isn’t a moral panic from adults. It’s a warning from those who lived through it.

📊 The stats say it all:
62% say social media does more harm than good
Only 22% believe it’s a net positive
70% say they’d struggle to quit
9% say quitting would be impossible
50% regret the time they spent online growing up
35% wish they’d joined social media later
84% bypassed parental controls
These aren’t isolated regrets — they are part of a growing generational consensus that unregulated digital exposure in childhood is harmful.

🚨 Key harms identified:
60% say it affects their sleep
57% say their attention span has suffered
40% report lower self-esteem
39% link it to mental health struggles
38% say it harmed their work or study
9% say it damaged friendships

👶 The next generation deserves better.
Most Gen Zers say they’ll keep their own kids offline for as long as possible — a dramatic shift from the early optimism that once surrounded tech in schools and homes.

🧠 This isn’t just about screen time.
It’s about Big Tech and EdTech platforms built to profit from children’s attention — with addictive features, opaque algorithms, and no real accountability. EdTech platforms are entering schools with little to no regulation.

📣 Gen Z is speaking.
They’ve lived through the worst of it. Now they’re asking us to act.
Let’s make sure we listen.