Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that social media can profoundly harm the mental health of young adults.
Washington:
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Monday called for a warning label to be added to social media apps as a reminder that these platforms have caused harm to young people, especially teenagers.
Murthy wrote in the New York Times on Monday that a warning label alone won’t make social media safe for young people, but it can raise awareness and change behaviors, evidence from tobacco studies shows. The US Congress would need to pass legislation requiring such a warning label.
BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT
Murthy has long warned that social media can profoundly harm the mental health of young people, especially teenage girls. In a statement last year, he called for safeguards by technology companies for children who are at critical stages of brain development.
A 2019 study by the American Medical Association showed that the risk of depression doubled for teens who spent three hours a day on social media.
KEY QUOTES
“It is time to demand a warning label from the surgeon general on social media platforms stating that social media is associated with significant harm to adolescent mental health,” Murthy wrote on Monday.
“A warning label from the surgeon general, which demands congressional action, would regularly remind parents and teens that social media has not been proven safe,” he added.
CONTEXT
Some US states have worked to pass legislation that protects children from the harmful effects of social media, such as anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses.
New York state lawmakers this month passed legislation to prevent social media platforms from exposing “addictive” algorithmic content to users under the age of 18 without parental consent.
In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans children under 14 from accessing social media platforms and requires children ages 14 and 15 to obtain parental consent.
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