Recently, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has warned of deteriorating mental health among young people, particularly adolescents, as a result of social media. In an opinion piece last week, Dr. Murthy of The New York Times called for a warning label on social media platforms, similar to what can be found on tobacco products, alerting users of the “significant mental health risks” associated with excessive consumption of social media. He added that congressionally required warnings on the labels and a spate of other measures were needed to make social media much safer for children and teens.
Dr. Murthy likened regulating social media to other safety provisions in different industries, such as safety features for cars or food recalls, to show the kind of priority this should yield vis-à-vis social media’s less positive effects on today’s young minds. He pointed to the need for transparency, accountability, and further research toward the mitigation of the risks coming from social media platforms.
This phenomenon has currently hit 95 percent of all U.S. adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 years using social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. However, this surge has led to concerns about the effects of social media on mental wellbeing. An increase in social media use notes a relationship with negative mental health consequences, including depression and anxiety, in students in colleges.
Lawmakers have taken to demanding that tech giants do more to police harassment on the internet and keep consumers safe, calling CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress. Some states have starting proposing legislation that puts caps on social media use for young people: recently, New York passed bills that will monitor and control the social media feeds of kids under 18 and keep their data safe.
The warnings on social media, as advocated by Dr. Murthy, reflect a growing recognition of the need to address the mental health implications of excessive social media use among young people and the importance of regulatory intervention in creating a safer digital environment for the next generation.
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