The US surgeon general wants warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette packs, saying social media is an “important contributor” to the mental health crisis among young people.
In the opinion piece in The New York Times, Dr Vivek Murthy wrote that the moral test of any society is how well it protects its children, and now was the time to “summon the will to act”.
“It’s time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” he said. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”
Urging Congress to take action, he said that evidence from tobacco studies proved warning labels “can increase awareness and change behaviour”, and while these wouldn’t make social media safe for young people, “this would be a part of the steps needed”, reports AP.
Up to 95% of youngsters between 13 and 17 say they use a social media platform, with more than a third saying that they use social media “almost constantly”, according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Centre.
“Social media today is like tobacco decades ago: It’s a product whose business model depends on addicting kids. And as with cigarettes, a surgeon general’s warning label is a critical step toward mitigating the threat to children,” said Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, an organisation that is dedicated to ending marketing to children.
However, his opinion has been challenged by some.
“Putting a warning label on online speech isn’t just scientifically unsound, it’s at odds with the constitutional right to free speech,” said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “It’s surprising to see the US Surgeon General attacking social media when teens themselves say it provides an important outlet for social connection.”
Last year Murthy had warned that there wasn’t enough evidence proving that social media was safe for children and teens. He’d said that policymakers needed to address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula, medication and other products used by children.
The harms of social media were no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food, he added.
“These … are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability,” he wrote.
The surgeon general is also recommending that companies be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public, which they currently don’t do, and allow independent safety audits.
teens and social media
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
New York health advisory lists social media an environmental toxin
US health chief warns of social media perils for youngsters
Italy wants to send phone-addicted teenagers to rehab