A new national survey finds broad and bipartisan support for federal rules governing AI, driven by concern that children are being exposed to harm in the absence of clear national standards.
The findings come from a new survey conducted by Fabrizio Ward, which polled 1,000 registered voters across age groups, genders and party lines from December 15 to December 17, 2025.
The survey indicates that anxiety about AI is no longer abstract. It is centered on concrete risks facing children, including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, mental health issues, sexual exploitation, substance abuse, gambling and self-harm.
“Eight in ten voters are concerned that the use of AI could expose children to harmful content because of a lack of clear, enforceable national regulations.”
Concern is especially pronounced among women over the age of 50, a high turnout voting bloc, where 90% say they are concerned and 70% say they are very concerned about AI’s impact on children.
Support for federal intervention extends beyond general concern into specific policy measures. More than eight in ten voters say they support national laws requiring AI platforms to take reasonable steps to reduce risks to minors, with more than six in ten saying they strongly support such measures.
The survey also finds overwhelming backing for criminal penalties for the use of AI to create intimate or pornographic imagery using a person’s likeness without consent, along with requirements for age verification before granting access to AI chatbots.
Voters additionally support mandating that AI platforms provide parents with tools to manage their children’s privacy, screen time, and account deletion, signaling a desire not only for protection but for parental control.
The results show little partisan divide. Support levels are nearly identical among voters who supported Donald Trump and those who supported Kamala Harris, suggesting the issue has cut across traditional political fault lines.
Until Congress acts, a majority of voters say they are comfortable with executive action.
“By a 31-point margin (60% to 29%), voters support President Trump issuing an Executive Order to implement these policies until Congress is able to take action passing a law.”
On X, AI Czar David Sacks says the results of the survey show that “the public favors a single national AI framework over a 50-state patchwork by 20 points.”
Earlier this month, President Trump signed an Executive Order designed to crush a fast-growing patchwork of state AI laws. The order also called on Congress to develop a national AI legislative framework, as the White House believes that state AI laws would impede innovation.
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