A survey released on Sunday indicates that a vast majority of Swiss citizens support stronger protections for children and adolescents on social media, as governments and courts worldwide intensify scrutiny of major tech companies' impact on young users. On Wednesday, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Google's parent company, Alphabet, negligent in designing social media platforms that harm teenagers, a ruling expected to set a precedent for numerous similar cases. The survey, conducted by Swiss polling firm GfS Bern for the Mercator Foundation, found that 94% of respondents believe minors should be better shielded from the risks of social media, while 78% think large tech firms wield excessive influence over public opinion. Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider expressed openness to potentially banning teenagers from using social media. The Swiss government is currently drafting legislation to regulate major online platforms, aiming to enhance their transparency. The publication of this poll in a Sunday newspaper follows neighboring Austria's decision last Friday to pursue a ban on social media use for children under the age of 14. The GfS Bern survey polled approximately 1,000 Swiss residents aged 16 and older between December 1 and 12. The margin of error for the survey was reported as plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
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