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Surgeon general wants tobacco-style warning applied to social media platforms

In an op-ed in The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said immediate action is needed to protect young people from the potential mental health harms of social media.

"A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe," he wrote. In a 2019 study, the association found the proportion of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47% from 2008 to 2017, when social media use among that age group soared. In early 2021, amid continued pandemic lockdowns, Murthy called on social media platforms to “proactively enhance and contribute to the mental health and well-being of our children.”

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