Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has shared his intention to require social media platforms to issue a warning label that details the mental health risks to adolescent users.
Murthy shared his new plan to help mitigate the ongoing mental health crisis in an op-ed in the New York Times on Monday.
In the piece, Murthy wrote that the warning labels should be similar to those that appear on alcohol and tobacco products, both addressing the problem and informing potential users.
“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,” he wrote.
He also shared that several studies have shown warning labels on tobacco products not only help increase awareness but also can change a user’s behavior.
“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 wrote.
While implementing a warning label would be a start, Murthy stressed that it would not make the platforms safer for young people.
Last year, an advisory he put out warned that social media was a driving factor in the ongoing youth mental health crisis. Murthy referenced this and advised policymakers, platforms, and the general public to heed his warnings about making online a safer place for young people.
Murthy said that legislation addressing the problems would “shield young people from online harassment, abuse, and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content.”
Overall, Murthy says that the issue is not singular to any parent, company, or legislator but rather a problem with the system as it currently stands.
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“These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency, or accountability,” he wrote.
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