Surgeon General Calls for Social Media Warning Labels

Social media is as big a threat to young Americans as smoking or alcohol. That’s the message from no less an authority than the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, MD.

In a recent New York Times essay, Murthy argued that “It is 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. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been [proven] safe.”

Murthy is hardly a lone voice in the wilderness in his assessment. Earlier this month, researchers from the University College of London published a paper that shows that internet addiction significantly alters brain function in adolescents, affecting behavior and mental health. The authors also noted “other changes that appeared to affect intellectual ability, physical coordination, mental health, and development.” 

Social Media Drives Research

Multiple studies have examined the effects of social media lately, such as:

• A Lebanese research project “identified a strong link between higher problematic social media use and higher odds of ADHD. Anxiety, but not depression, partially mediated this association. This suggests that social media might impair attention, contributing to ADHD symptoms, while heightening anxiety levels.”
• A more optimistic take emerged from a paper that reported on artificial intelligence models that could reliably predict suicide risk just from the photos users posted on various platforms.
• While another study went so far as to claim that heavy social media use induced nightmares.

And while kids are certainly spending more time online, so are their parents. And it’s something that licensed therapist and Counseling Unconditionally founder Courtney Morgan is hearing more about.

“Some parents are using social media even more than their children,” she said. “which negatively impacts the child as they feel they are not getting adequate attention and aren’t modeling the behavior they want their children to have.”

Calls to Action

Murthy urged Congress to take action, arguing for legislation to “prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children.” He also encouraged lawmakers to “restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay, and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.”

Murty also insisted that the social media platforms bear some responsibility, pushing for greater transparency and a willingness to submit to independent safety audits.

“While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words,” Murty wrote. “We need proof.”

Therapists like Morgan, though, argue that parents must play a bigger role.

“Parents can monitor and control their children’s social media access by limiting the apps they can use, setting realistic screen time limits, and ensuring that their children are involved in offline activities,” Morgan said. “I don’t believe it’s the platforms’ responsibility to set limits around a child’s social media usage beyond imposing age restrictions.”