*U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy urged Congress to mandate mental health warnings on social media platforms.
In an op-ed published in The New York Times, Murthy noted that social media is “an important contributor” to the impact on youth mental health. In his proposal, he suggested alerts need to be added that inform users about these platforms’ mental health risks, NBC News reports.
“A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” he wrote.
Speaking Monday on NBC’s “TODAY,” Murthy said thousands of parents share his concern about social media use among children.
“When adolescents spend more than three hours a day on social media, we’re seeing an association with a doubling of risk of anxiety and depression symptoms,” he said.
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Murthy noted in the op-ed that a tobacco-style warning should listed on social media platforms. He wrote, “Evidence from tobacco labels shows that surgeon general’s warnings can increase awareness and change behavior.”
However, he recognized that simply applying a label would not ensure the safety of social media platforms.
Here’s more from NBC News:
The American Psychological Association says teenagers spend nearly five hours every day on top platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. In a 2019 study, the association found the proportion of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47% from 2008 to 2017, when social media use among that age group soared.
And that was before the pandemic triggered a year’s worth of virtual isolation for the U.S. In early 2021, amid continued pandemic lockdowns, Murthy called on social media platforms to “proactively enhance and contribute to the mental health and well-being of our children.”
“For too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends,” he said last year announcing the health advisory, per NBC News.
“It’s no longer the culture for people to talk to each other anymore,” Murthy said at a conference about the youth mental health crisis last month.
“More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media,” he said last year.
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