The U.S. Surgeon General is urging Congress to issue a warning label, similar to those seen on cigarette packs, for social media platforms and their impacts on young people.
“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,” U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Hallegere Murthy wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times.
“A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy added.
The surgeon general noted that while tacking a warning label onto social media platforms will not make them safe for young people, it would potentially change users’ behavior.
“Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior,” Murthy said.
Notably, issuing a tobacco-like warning label on social media platforms means that Congress would have to action.
