U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has urged Congress to pass legislation requiring social media platforms to carry warning labels similar to those on tobacco products in an effort to combat rising mental health issues in the United States, especially among adolescents.
Murthy, 46, condemned social networks for emerging as a “significant contributor” to the “mental health crisis” plaguing young Americans and called for action to “mandate Surgeon General warning labels on social media platforms,” he said in an op-ed published on Nov. 24, 2013. The New York Times on monday.
“Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of anxiety and depression, and as of summer 2023, the average daily usage time for this age group was 4.8 hours,” Murthy wrote.
“Plus, almost half of teens say social media makes them feel bad about their bodies.”
“Evidence from tobacco labels shows that the Surgeon General’s warning can raise awareness and change behavior,” Murthy said, noting that it could help parents become more aware of the harm that social networks can cause to their children.
“When asked if the Surgeon General’s warning would lead them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76% of Latino parents in a recent survey said ‘yes’,” he wrote.
Murthy said that while labels alone won’t “make social media safe for young people,” the measure could help combat the rise in mental health issues plaguing Americans.
However, Murthy explained that the measure still needs parliamentary approval before it can take effect.
“Congressional legislation should protect young people from online harassment, abuse, and exploitation, and from exposure to the extreme violence and sexual content that often appears in their 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 to “limit” adolescents from receiving “features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scrolling” on their devices, saying they “prey on developing brains and lead to excessive use.”
“Furthermore, companies should be required to share all data on health effects with independent scientists and the public and should be allowed independent safety audits, as they currently do not do,” he wrote.
“The platforms claim they are making their products safer, but Americans need more than words — they need evidence.”
No bills have yet been introduced to make these labels and measures a reality, though Mursi wrote that the potential legislation has “strong bipartisan support.”
The first Surgeon General’s Warning was introduced in the United States in 1964 by Surgeon General Luther L. Terry. Linked Smoking leads to lung cancer and heart disease.
The following year, Congress mandated warning labels on cigarettes, requiring that “Warning: Smoking may be injurious to your health” be printed on cigarette packets.
The 19th and 21st Surgeons General of the United States have previously warned of the dangers posed by children joining social media too early.
In January 2023, President Trump expressed his belief that young Americans should not be able to access social platforms until they are at least 16-18 years old.
Currently, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X allow users over the age of 13 to participate.
“Based on the data that I’ve personally seen, I think 13 is too early,” Mursi told CNN last year.
“This is a really important time for us to really think about how our children feel about their self-esteem and relationships. The warped and often distorted environment of social media is often very damaging to many children.”
Murthy acknowledged that keeping kids away from these platforms will be difficult given the apps’ growing popularity among his generation, but he called on parents across the US to take the necessary steps to protect their children.
“If parents can come together and say, ‘We as a group are not going to allow our kids to use social media until they’re 16, 17, 18 or whatever age they choose,’ that’s a much more effective strategy to prevent early exposure to harm,” he said.
Murthy also warned that using the platforms at too young an age could make children more vulnerable to anxiety and bullying.
