The Evidence

The World Is Asking for What We Already Built

Every article below is from a major, credible news source. They all point to the same conclusion: social media needs content ratings, user controls, and time limits. CleoSocial ships all three.

51+
Articles
20+
News Sources
8
Themes
U.S. LegislationApril 23, 2026

Sens. Katie Britt and John Fetterman warn against inaction on social media guardrails for young people

Bipartisan senators push Stop the Scroll Act and Kids Off Social Media Act, calling for warning labels and age controls — features CleoSocial already ships.

NBC News
U.S. LegislationApril 20, 2026

'Big Tech or families?' Parents head to Washington to reignite fight for online safety laws

60 parents traveled to Capitol Hill, placing 150 roses representing children harmed by online platforms, and met with lawmakers to advocate for federal legislation.

CNN
U.S. Legislation119th Congress

Kids Off Social Media Act (S.278)

Bipartisan bill bans social media for children under 13 and prohibits algorithmic content recommendation for users under 17.

Congress.gov
U.S. Legislation2025

Kids Off Social Media Act Sets Social Media Age Minimum to 13

Senate Commerce Committee advances bipartisan legislation setting age minimums and banning addictive algorithmic feeds for teens.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee
U.S. Legislation2025–2026

Fetterman-Britt bill to help protect mental health of minors passes committee

The Stop the Scroll Act — requiring mental health warning labels on social media platforms — passes Senate committee.

Sen. Fetterman's Office
U.S. Legislation2025–2026

Gottheimer announces bipartisan Parents Decide Act to protect kids online

Bipartisan legislation giving parents greater control over what children can access on their devices.

Rep. Gottheimer
Public HealthJune 2024

Surgeon general calls for social media warning labels amid teen mental health crisis

The U.S. Surgeon General calls for cigarette-style warning labels on social media, citing that 95% of children ages 10-17 use platforms and 3+ hours daily doubles the risk of mental health problems.

PBS NewsHour
Public Health2023–2024

Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health

Official U.S. government advisory stating social media presents "a profound risk of harm" to children and adolescents.

HHS.gov
Public HealthJuly 2024

Social media dangers: The public health case for warning labels

Professional public health analysis supporting the Surgeon General's call for warning labels on social media platforms.

American Public Health Association
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 25, 2026

Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial

Landmark verdict finds Meta and Google negligent. Internal Meta document revealed: "If we wanna win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens." 10,000+ individual cases still pending.

NPR
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 2026

Jury finds Meta and YouTube negligent in landmark lawsuit on social media safety

Jury finds platforms negligent in separate coverage of the landmark social media addiction trial.

NBC News
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 25, 2026

Jury in Los Angeles finds Meta, YouTube negligent in social media addiction trial

Los Angeles jury finds Meta and YouTube negligent, adding to the growing wave of legal accountability for social media harms.

CNBC
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 26, 2026

Jury finds Meta, YouTube liable for social media addiction — what we know

Global coverage of the landmark ruling confirming platform liability for social media addiction.

Al Jazeera
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 24, 2026

Meta must pay $375 million for violating New Mexico law in child exploitation case

Jury orders Meta to pay $375 million after finding the company engaged in "unconscionable" trade practices exploiting children's vulnerabilities.

CNBC
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 24, 2026

New Mexico jury says Meta harms children's mental health and safety, violating state law

New Mexico jury confirms Meta violated state law in harming children's mental health and safety.

NPR
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 2026

Jury orders Meta to pay $375 million in New Mexico lawsuit over child sexual exploitation

NBC coverage of the $375 million verdict against Meta in the New Mexico child exploitation case.

NBC News
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 2026

Meta ordered to pay $375M after jury finds platform enabled child predators in landmark case

Fox Business coverage of the landmark $375 million verdict against Meta in New Mexico.

Fox Business
Lawsuits & VerdictsMarch 25, 2026

US jury orders Meta to pay $375M for endangering children

Global coverage of the $375 million verdict, highlighting Meta's systematic endangerment of children.

Al Jazeera
Global BansDecember 10, 2025

Social media ban for children under 16 starts in Australia

Australia becomes the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, with fines up to $49.5M AUD. 70% of voters endorsed the ban.

NPR
Global BansNovember 29, 2025

Australia social media ban: What happens when you kick millions of teens off the platforms?

Deep dive into Australia's landmark social media ban and its potential impact on millions of young users.

CNN
Global BansApril 23, 2026

These are the countries moving to ban social media for children

Comprehensive tracker of 10+ countries banning or restricting social media for minors: Australia, Indonesia, France, Denmark, Germany, UK, Austria, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.

TechCrunch
Global BansApril 8, 2026

More countries weigh teen social media ban, experts warn it's 'lazy'

As more countries consider bans, experts argue there's a better alternative: building platforms responsibly from the start.

CNBC
Global BansFebruary 23, 2026

Countries are barring teens from social media — could the U.S. be next? One expert thinks it's 'inevitable'

Expert says a U.S. ban on social media for teens is "inevitable," following Australia's lead and growing global momentum.

CNBC
Global BansApril 17, 2026

Which European countries want to ban social media for minors?

European nations including France, Portugal, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Spain are moving to restrict or ban social media for minors.

Euronews
Global BansMarch 12, 2026

Social media giants urged to protect children, UK rejects under-16 ban

UK rejects an outright ban but urges social media companies to do more to protect children on their platforms.

CNBC
Global BansMarch 25, 2026

UK government to trial social media ban for hundreds of teens

UK launches a pilot program trialing social media bans for hundreds of teenagers as part of its online safety push.

CNBC
Big Tech ResponseOctober 2025

Instagram says it's making the app more 'PG-13' for teens

Instagram CEO announces on the TODAY Show that the platform is adopting PG-13-style content guidelines for teen users — a concept CleoSocial launched with.

NBC News
Big Tech ResponseOctober 2025

Instagram announces new PG-13 content standards for teen users

Good Morning America coverage of Instagram's adoption of movie-style content standards for teens.

ABC News / GMA
Big Tech ResponseOctober 2025

Instagram announces new teen account feature (TODAY exclusive)

Exclusive interview where Instagram unveils its teen account features inspired by movie content ratings.

TODAY / NBC
Big Tech ResponseOctober 14, 2025

Instagram rolls out PG-13 content guidelines for teenage users

CNBC coverage of Instagram's rollout of PG-13-inspired content guidelines for teen accounts.

CNBC
Big Tech ResponseOctober 14, 2025

Instagram will now be PG-13 for teens with Meta's latest update

CNN reports on Meta's latest update making Instagram "PG-13" for teen users.

CNN
Big Tech Response2025

Instagram Is Introducing New Restrictions for Teen Users

TIME covers Instagram's new restrictions for teen users and the challenges of implementation.

TIME
Big Tech Response2025–2026

Instagram teen accounts are still rife with safety issues

Despite Teen Account protections, 60% of teens aged 13-15 still encountered unsafe content on Instagram.

TIME
Big Tech Response2025

Instagram PG-13 rating faces legal fight from movie industry

The movie industry challenges Instagram's use of the "PG-13" rating, arguing it misrepresents the established standard.

Hollywood Reporter
Big Tech Response2026

Meta's Instagram agrees to add disclaimer after movie studios threw legal flag on PG-13 use

Meta settles with the Motion Picture Association, agreeing to add a disclaimer after co-opting the PG-13 rating without authorization.

Variety
Big Tech ResponseApril 9, 2026

Instagram expands its movie-inspired content restriction for teens internationally

Instagram expands its movie-inspired teen content restrictions globally, following CleoSocial's model of content ratings.

TechCrunch
Big Tech ResponseApril 2026

Instagram expands teen accounts with 13+ content ratings

Meta's official announcement expanding teen account content ratings internationally.

Meta Official Blog
Big Tech ResponseFebruary 10, 2026

Under growing pressure, the biggest social networks agree to be rated on teen safety

Meta, TikTok, and Snap agree to independent safety assessments. Companies rated highly receive a "blue shield badge"; those rated poorly are flagged.

Washington Post
Research & DataApril 2025

Teens, Social Media, and Mental Health

44% of parents say social media is the #1 negative influence on teen mental health. 48% of teens agree it negatively impacts their age group — up from 32% in 2022.

Pew Research Center
Research & DataApril 15, 2026

Teens' experiences on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat

New Pew data on how teens experience the three dominant social platforms and the content they encounter.

Pew Research Center
Research & DataMarch 2026

Social media is harming adolescents at a scale large enough to cause changes at the population level

The UN-backed World Happiness Report presents seven lines of evidence showing social media is not reasonably safe for children at the population level.

World Happiness Report 2026
Research & DataMarch 2026

World Happiness Report highlights social media's negative impact

ABC News coverage of the World Happiness Report's findings on social media's negative impact on adolescent wellbeing.

ABC News
Research & DataMarch 19, 2026

World Happiness Report 2026 shows complex global picture on social media and happiness

Oxford's analysis of the 2026 World Happiness Report and its findings on social media's relationship to global wellbeing.

University of Oxford
State Action2025

Governor Hochul signs legislation to require warning labels on social media platforms

New York requires social media platforms to display mental health warning labels for users under 18 — labels cannot be bypassed.

Governor Hochul (NY)
State ActionJanuary 1, 2026

Virginia social media restrictions take effect for teens

Virginia law takes effect requiring age verification for users 16+ and limiting under-16s to one hour of social media per day.

WJLA / ABC7
State Action2025

Social Media and Children: 2025 Legislation Summary

300+ bills pending across 45+ U.S. states. 19 states have already enacted youth social media safety laws.

National Conference of State Legislatures
State ActionFebruary 27, 2026

FTC finds nearly 20% of America's children are online 4+ hours daily

FTC data reveals nearly one in five American children spend 4+ hours per day on social media, fueling calls for regulation.

Fortune
Cultural ShiftFebruary 7, 2026

A 'quiet revolution': Why young people are swapping social media for lunch dates, vinyl records and brick phones

Nearly a quarter of all consumers deleted a social media app in the past year, rising to nearly a third for Gen Z. A cultural shift away from algorithmic feeds is underway.

CNBC
Cultural ShiftJanuary 2025

Jonathan Haidt on digital technology, social media, and childhood

NYU professor's four norms — no smartphone before 14, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, more real-world independence — have become "something close to a global consensus."

World Economic Forum
Cultural ShiftDecember 26, 2025

Inside Meta, Instagram went all-in to win back teens

Internal look at how Meta is scrambling to win back teens after years of safety criticism and declining engagement.

Washington Post
Cultural ShiftApril 26, 2026

Don't know a soul at your college yet? These companies want to help

Incoming college students are building entire social lives on social media before arriving on campus — making platform safety more critical than ever.

CNN

They're all asking for the same thing.

Content ratings. User controls. Time limits. Transparency.
CleoSocial already ships all of it.