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LIFESTYLE

77% Think Too Much Online Time Is Damaging Kids’ Mental Health

Americans overwhelmingly believe that excessive Internet use is a factor in the mental health problems affecting young people.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 77% of American Adults consider it likely that spending too much time on the Internet contributes to mental illness in young people, including 43% who say it’s Very Likely. Just 14% don’t think it’s likely too much online time harms young people’s mental health. These numbers haven’t changed much since last March. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,289 American Adults was conducted on February 27 and March 2-3, 2025 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.over the next six months.

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