A Warning Label for social media? The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S., is urging Congress to enact legislation for a tobacco-like warning on social media. It's a significant step in the right direction. I’m a supporter of it!
In a New York Times op-ed piece from Monday, Dr. Murthy says the state of declining youth mental health from prolonged social media use is an emergency — finally, a call to action!
“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,” Dr. Murthy writes. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proven safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.”
From my perspective, a warning label will help parents manage screen time with their children. Having more ways to talk about health impact, including from our country's highest-ranked physician, would be a good addition.
Dr. Murthy has reached out to me in the past to discuss social media and our youth and families, and I know he cares deeply about the stress parents feel trying to manage all of this in their homes.
I was thrilled to see that in Dr. Murthy’s New York Times Op-Ed, he brought up the need to put phones put away during the school day — something my team and I have been advocating for since 2017 with our Away for the Day campaign.
An incredibly important public health issue is the fact that time on social media deprives youth of things they need for development. They could use that time to explore interests, socialize in person, and sleep — all supporting mental well-being. Last week, a 15-year-old patient who is struggling with clinical anxiety told me she is on TikTok at least 3 hours a day and that it is making her feel worse about herself, but she finds it so hard to stop.
I recently interviewed Dr. Jonathan Haidt about the negative impact of social media on youth for a podcast (and for my upcoming K-5 version of our original Screenagers). In the podcast, he concurs with me about the plethora of evidence showing that increased social media use increases mental health problems in adolescents.
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We talked about how it is developmentally appropriate for youth to seek social acceptance. Social media throws a two-ton wrench into that developmental experience. Not only is there now constant comparison, but the amplified social aggression makes seeking social acceptance that much more of a minefield.
With so many voices in the choir singing about the dangers social media poses to our youth, I truly hope Congress heeds Dr. Murthy’s call for a warning label and starts enacting legislation. It’s a tumultuous time politically, but this issue has strong support on both sides of the aisle.
Dr. Murthy is not stopping at a warning label. He is demanding that legislation from Congress include language to “shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.”
He also demands that tech companies allow users access to “all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently, they do not — and allow independent safety audits. While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.”
It is such a relief to see Dr. Murthy pushing for this measure. The data is clear. Since the introduction of social media, youth mental health problems have increased. I am optimistic that Congress will indeed pass support Dr. Murthy’s request for a warning label.
Here are questions to get the conversation started with youth in your family or group:
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A Warning Label for social media? The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S., is urging Congress to enact legislation for a tobacco-like warning on social media. It's a significant step in the right direction. I’m a supporter of it!
In a New York Times op-ed piece from Monday, Dr. Murthy says the state of declining youth mental health from prolonged social media use is an emergency — finally, a call to action!
“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,” Dr. Murthy writes. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proven safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.”
From my perspective, a warning label will help parents manage screen time with their children. Having more ways to talk about health impact, including from our country's highest-ranked physician, would be a good addition.
Dr. Murthy has reached out to me in the past to discuss social media and our youth and families, and I know he cares deeply about the stress parents feel trying to manage all of this in their homes.
I was thrilled to see that in Dr. Murthy’s New York Times Op-Ed, he brought up the need to put phones put away during the school day — something my team and I have been advocating for since 2017 with our Away for the Day campaign.
An incredibly important public health issue is the fact that time on social media deprives youth of things they need for development. They could use that time to explore interests, socialize in person, and sleep — all supporting mental well-being. Last week, a 15-year-old patient who is struggling with clinical anxiety told me she is on TikTok at least 3 hours a day and that it is making her feel worse about herself, but she finds it so hard to stop.
How much money would we need to pay students to leave social media for a month? How about if none of their peers had access to it either? Would they even pay to have social media removed from their whole peer group?! Researchers who are experts in behavioral economics recently conducted a fascinating set of experiments with college age students to explore these questions.
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I decided to re-visit this blog from the archives because our last podcast on how to have healthier parent-child conflicts was so popular, that I wanted to provide more help on this same topic. Here, I focus on the powerful parenting approach called the nurtured heart approach. Complimenting this blog, we posted a wonderful podcast episode from our archive that also examines this approach and provides many concrete action steps.
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The current surge in conversation and scrutiny concerning the impact of screen time on youth mental wellbeing, catalyzed by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's media tour for his new book, "Anxious Generation," is truly fantastic. This increased dialogue is crucial for understanding screen time risks and determining the best ways to support our children's mental health. Let’s not let this attention for the need for solutions die down! In today’s blog, I weigh in on four key points Haidt makes to keep the momentum in full swing.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
