A Washington Post-Scholar School poll showed that many Americans do not trust social media services, such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram when it comes to their data.

In addition, American users view targeted ads as "annoying and invasive," according to The Washington Post report.

The study also noted that many Americans use social media, mostly using Facebook.

Sixty-four percent of respondents believe that the government should step in to place measures on Big Tech companies.

Most Americans also question the social media platforms' ability to handle their personal information and user data.

In addition, a huge majority of the participants said that they think companies do not provide people with enough control over how their activities are tracked and used.

The survey was conducted in November with a random sample of 1,122 adults nationwide.

Seventy-two percent of Internet users trust Facebook "not much" or "not at all" to responsible manage their personal information and data on their Internet activity.

TikTok and Instagram were not completely trusted by six out of 10 users, while slight majorities distrust WhatsApp and YouTube.

On the other hand, Amazon is slightly positive with 53 percent trusting the company at least "a good amount."

Only 10 percent believe that Facebook has a positive effect on society, while 56 percent say it has a negative impact.

Meanwhile, 33 percent say its impact is neither positive nor negative.

The poll noted that 63 percent of Americans said they distrust video-sharing app TikTok with their data, according to a The Hill report.

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Social Media Users' Wariness

Social media companies have received the brunt of users' caution when it comes to using their social media platforms, resulting in widespread diminished credibility in recent months in the U.S.

In recent months, Facebook has faced wide criticisms after the release of internal company documents by company whistleblower Frances Haugen, alleging that the company targeted teenage girls without regard to their mental health.

Twitter has also received scrutiny for alleged efforts to censor conservative voices, which they deny, according to The Gazette report.

TikTok was also faced with claims of potential security risks that may arise from its affiliation with China.

In addition, seven in 10 Americans think their phone or other devices are listening in on them in ways they did not approve of.

One respondent, Gabriela Adame Torrace, said that her phone is listening. She added that anything that she talks about, she automatically knows that she will see those ads on Facebook.

Major tech companies have denied allegations of accessing microphones without permission. Experts noted that it is likely that they instead have enough personal data to accurately predict what they are interested in.

Targeted ads are widely disliked, with more than eight in 10 Internet users saying they see targeted ads at least somewhat often.

Sixty-six percent of Internet users who see them online say they are not helpful despite social media companies' claims that targeted ads help people find products that they want.

Participants had answered an online survey or a questionnaire that was mailed back to researchers.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Most Americans Don't Trust Social Media Platforms With Personal Info: Poll - from MSNBC