US public health spokesperson calls for warning labels on social media

United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Monday for the inclusion of a warning label on social media apps as a reminder of the harm these platforms have caused to young people, especially teenagers.

In the American government, the surgeon general is like a public health spokesperson who makes recommendations and alerts on topics that interest the population.

In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Murthy wrote that a warning label alone will not make social media safe for young people, but that it can raise awareness and change behavior, as evidence from studies shows. about tobacco.

The US Congress would need to pass legislation that would require this warning label.

Youth advocates and lawmakers have long accused social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat of having harmful effects on children, including shortening attention spans, promoting negative body images and vulnerability to online bullies and predators.

“It is time to demand a warning label from the surgeon general on social media platforms stating that social media is associated with significant harm to adolescent mental health,” Murthy wrote on Monday.

TikTok, Snap and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not respond to requests for comment.

The CEOs of these three companies, along with social media platform hands” for not protecting young users from sexual predators.

Some US states have worked to pass legislation to protect minors from the harmful effects of social media, such as anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses.

New York State lawmakers this month passed legislation that prohibits social media platforms from exposing “addictive” algorithmic content to users under the age of 18 without parental consent.

In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans children under 14 from accessing social media platforms and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain parental consent.