Surgeon General pushes for social media warning labels similar to tobacco

There is a growing concern both in the US and around the world about the dangers of social media, in particular when it comes to kids and teens.

The US Surgeon General called for lawmakers to require social media companies to issue warning labels on their products due to the potential mental health harm to teenagers.

The warnings would be similar to those stamped in tobacco packaging, also suggested by the former Surgeon General in 1971, due to the cancer risk.

In an opinion essay in The New York Times, Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General, explained the reasoning behind his call. This is not the first time that Murthy has warned parents of the harm social media does to teenagers.

The public official said that the mental health crisis among young Americans is a public health emergency, and it should be addressed with urgency by lawmakers, parents, and educators.

He also claimed social media plays a part in the crisis. In a 2023 advisory, the Surgeon General warned that adolescents who spend more than 3 hours on social media have double the risk of developing depression and anxiety.

Murthy also noted that one recent survey of Latino parents found that 76% would be more inclined to control their children's online activity more closely if apps had a warning label.

Still, he admitted that the disclaimers would only solve part of the problem. These are not the first safety recommendations the Surgeon General has made regarding teenagers and social media.

In 2023, Murthy recommended lawmakers pursue legislation to limit push notifications and infinite scrolling and tighten the controls of inappropriate content on social platforms.

He also called for more transparency about the data that social media companies collect and the information they have on how they affect younger users.

Murthy suggested that independent researchers and institutions should be able to access all the companies' data on their products' health effects. He said comprehensive studies are necessary.

Murthy said the harmful effects of social media on young people are not a failure of parenting but a failure to secure accountability and safety protocols for a product.

He compared his recommendations to this year's grounding of 170 planes after a door plug failed mid-flight in a Boeing 737 Max or to carmakers' requirement to put seatbelts in all car models.

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