US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called for warning labels on social media apps like TikTok to highlight their potential harm to young people, especially adolescents. In a New York Times article, Murthy emphasized that while warning labels alone cannot make social media safe, they can increase awareness and influence behavior, drawing parallels with tobacco warning labels. He first proposed this initiative last May, stressing the importance of regularly reminding parents and adolescents that social media’s safety for young people remains unproven.
Murthy’s renewed plea on the social media platform X underscores the urgency of the issue, describing it as a public health emergency that requires swift action from Congress to safeguard children’s well-being. He has long warned about the detrimental effects of social media on youth mental health, particularly highlighting the increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among adolescents.
Supporting his stance, a 2019 American Medical Association study found that teenagers who spend three hours a day on social media have double the risk of depression. In response, some US states have already enacted legislation to protect children from harmful social media content, including New York’s recent law requiring parental consent for exposure to “addictive” algorithmic content and Florida’s ban on social media use for children under 14.
Murthy’s call for federal legislation aims to create a nationwide standard for protecting young people from the adverse effects of social media. The US House and Senate would need to pass such legislation to implement warning labels, which Murthy believes are a crucial step in addressing the ongoing mental health crisis among youth exacerbated by social media use.
