HILL STAFF VIEWS: More Congressional Aides Say They Are Cutting Back on Social Media Use

(QUICK READ) — Social media use and abuse has been a topic of widespread conversation on and off Capitol Hill for more than a year, especially as evidence grows that Scrolling Addiction, especially among teens and young kids is a growing concern.

So how are congressional aides reacting to this development? A recent CNCT Capitol Pulse survey asked respondents if they are spending more or less time on social media, and 41 percent of them said “Same as Last Year.”  In other words, fewer than half of those responding among congressional aides said their Social Media scrolling is unchanged.

That also means, however, that 59 percent are doing Social Media differently in 2026, right? And indeed, 37 percent of the respondents overall said they “Use it Less Now.” So one of every three congressional aide has reduced their time on Social Media in the past year. That magnitude of change in the makeup of an audience is enough to get Silicon Valley’s attention.

But there’s another seven percent of the respondents who say they have completely shut off Social Media from their lives, meaning 44 percent of the Hill aides responding to this survey indicated they are using Social Media less or not at all, compared to last year!

Let’s not forget, though, that 15 percent of the respondents overall also reported “I Use it More Now,” including 19 percent of the Republicans and 12 percent of the Democrats. Interestingly, the highest percentage of those saying they use Social Media more now than before was the 27 percent among Senior GOP aides. On the Senate side, 25 percent of the Democrat aides said they are using Social Media more in 2026 than last year.

In terms of the breakdown of the numbers among various groups, perhaps the most interesting is the similarity of responses among GOP aides and those working on the Democratic side. Seven percent of the Republicans and six percent of the Democrats said they are completely off social media. This group might be the core of a renewed movement to restore civility and mutual respect in congressional rhetoric!