Social media should get warning labels for teens, per Surgeon General

Teens spend almost 5 hours a day on social media

Doctor’s orders
Just over a year ago, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recommended that legislators, parents, and tech companies take steps to make social media safer for children in light of the youth mental health crisis. Now, he’s ringing the alarm bell even louder with a new piece in the New York Times today where he suggests implementing a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms.
The label, akin to those that adorn the packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the US, could show up on apps like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, warning parents and adolescent users of the potential damage that such platforms can wreak on young peoples’ mental health. And, in case you needed any reminding, young people are spending a lot of time on those apps — the most recent poll from Gallup found that US teens are, on average, spending almost 5 hours a day on social media, with teen girls racking up some 5.3 hours of scrolling, swiping, and tapping per day.

Dr. Murthy was keen to note that this proposition alone wouldn’t be enough to make socials a safer place for young Americans, pointing to his recommendations from last May, such as developing age-appropriate health and safety standards; increasing funding on research into the dangers of social media; and tracking the amount of time young people are spending online, as potential companions for the proposed label.

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