Dr. Vivek Murthy said Congress should require a warning that social media use can harm teenagers’ mental health

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy would like social media platforms to carry warning labels similar to those found on tobacco products.

In an essay for the New York Times, Murthy said social media can be dangerous to the mental health of teenagers, causing anxiety and depression if used for more than 3 hours daily.

“The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.”

He says warning labels “can increase awareness and change behavior”, prompting parents to limit their children’s access.

He also called on Congress to “shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content”.

6/17/24 Susan Saunders