Surgeon general calls for tobacco-style warning on social media platforms
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called on Congress to pass legislation requiring social media platforms to have warning labels similar to tobacco products to help fight against the rising mental health issue in America — specifically among adolescents.
Murthy, 46, slammed social networks for emerging as an “important contributor” to the “mental health crisis” plaguing the youth of America and called for action to “require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms,” he wrote in an op-ed published in the New York Times on Monday.
“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,” Murthy wrote.
“Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”
Murthy found that “Evidence from tobacco labels shows that surgeon general’s warnings can increase awareness and change behavior” and can help parents become more aware of the harmfulness social networks can cause their children.
“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 wrote.
Murthy states a label alone would not make “social media safe for young people,” but the measure could help combat the rising mental health issues afflicting Americans.
However, Murthy explained he would need congressional approval for the action to take effect.
“Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse, and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds,” he wrote.
He called on Congress to consider making it illegal for social media platforms to collect “sensitive data from children” and also “restrict” adolescents from receiving “features like push notifications, autoplay, and infinite scroll” on their devices, which he claims “prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.”
“Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits,” he wrote.
“While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.”
Though Murthy wrote that the possibility of legislation has “strong bipartisan support,” no bill has been introduced to make these labels and measures a reality.
The first surgeon general’s warning was introduced in the US in 1964 under Surgeon General Luther L. Terry, who linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer and heart disease.
The following year, Congress mandated warning labels on cigarettes, requiring packs to print “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.”
The 19th and 21st US Surgeons General has warned of the dangers posed to children who join social media too early in the past.
In January 2023, he expressed his belief that young Americans shouldn’t be allowed to access social platforms until they are at least 16 to 18.
Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X currently allow users to join as long as they are at least 13 years old.
“I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early,” Murthy told CNN last year.
“It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children.”
Murthy acknowledged that, given the apps’ growing popularity among peers, it will be challenging to keep children off these platforms, but he called on parents around the US to take the necessary steps to help protect their children.
“If parents can band together and say you know, ‘As a group, we’re not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18’ or whatever age they choose, that’s a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don’t get exposed to harm early,” he said.
Murthy also warned that children may be more susceptible to developing insecurities and will be accessible to bullies if they are on the platforms at too early an age.
