Key Points:
- U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls for warning labels on social media apps to highlight potential mental health risks for adolescents.
- There are long-standing concerns about social media’s harmful effects on children’s mental health, including anxiety and depression.
- CEOs of major social media platforms faced intense questioning about child safety from U.S. senators earlier this year.
- New York and Florida have passed laws to restrict social media access and content for minors to protect their mental health.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called for a warning label to be added to social media apps to highlight the potential harm these platforms can cause young people, particularly adolescents. In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Monday, Murthy emphasized that while a warning label alone will not make social media safe for young people, it could increase awareness and potentially change behavior. He cited evidence from tobacco studies showing that warning labels can be effective. The U.S. Congress would need to pass appropriate legislation to implement such a requirement.
Youth advocates and lawmakers have long criticized social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat for their detrimental effects on children. These platforms have been associated with issues such as shortened attention spans, negative body images, and increased vulnerability to online bullying and predators.
Despite these concerns, TikTok, Snap Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc. (which owns Facebook and Instagram) did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier this year, the CEOs of these companies, along with those of social media platform X and messaging app Discord, faced intense scrutiny from U.S. senators during a hearing about online child safety. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accused the leaders of these companies of having “blood on your hands” for failing to protect young users from sexual predators.
In response to growing concerns, some U.S. states have been working on legislation to protect children from the harmful effects of social media, which include anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. This month, New York state lawmakers passed legislation to prevent social media platforms from exposing users under the age of 18 to “addictive” algorithmic content without parental consent. In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans children under 14 from using social media platforms and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.
These legislative efforts reflect a growing recognition of the need to safeguard young people from social media’s adverse effects. Murthy’s call for warning labels is part of a broader push to address this issue and ensure that social media platforms do not continue to impact adolescents’ mental health negatively.
