Nearly three in four voters heading into the November election believe social media platforms should have warning labels similar to those placed on R-rated movies, alcohol and tobacco, according to a new survey.
The idea is controversial, but new research shows it’s popular across all age groups. Quinnipiac University PollIt was released on Wednesday.
“There is broad support for raising the red flag on social media in general,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in his analysis of the survey results.
Research shows that social media can have a significant impact on adolescents’ mental health. The survey found that voters who support warning labels believe warning labels are necessary across all age groups, but especially younger voters.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is one of the advocates of putting warning labels on social media platforms.
“The youth mental health crisis is an emergency, and social media is emerging as a key contributing factor.” Murthy wrote in a New York Times op-ed: Announced earlier this month, “The Surgeon General’s warning labels, which would require Congressional action, would serve as regular reminders to parents and adolescents that social media has not been proven safe.”
Murthy said he and his wife plan to wait until their children are in high school before allowing them to use social media platforms.
“Once our kids reach high school age, my wife and I will reevaluate based on their maturity, the safety data and whether there are safety standards,” Murthy told CNN in an interview last week.
The poll was conducted among 1,405 voters nationwide from June 20 to 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
