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“It’s time to demand a Chief Medical Officer warning label on social media platforms stating that social media is linked to significant harm to adolescent mental health,” Murthy said.
“The Surgeon General’s warning label, which requires action by Congress, will regularly remind parents and teens that social media has not been proven safe.”
“Evidence from tobacco studies shows that warning labels can raise awareness and change behaviour.”
Murthy said using just a warning label would not make social media safe for young people, but would be part of the necessary steps.
Social media use is widespread among young Americans, with up to 95 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds saying they use a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center.
“Social media today is like tobacco decades ago: It’s a product whose business model depends on kids getting addicted. And as with cigarettes, the Chief Medical Officer’s warning label is a critical step towards mitigating the threat to children,” Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, an organization dedicated to ending marketing to children, said in a statement.
Murthy warned last year that there was not enough evidence to show that social media was safe for children and teenagers. At the time, he said policymakers should address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula, drugs and other products used by children.
To comply with US federal regulations, social media companies already ban children under the age of 13 from registering on their platforms – but children have been shown to easily circumvent the bans, both with and without their parents’ consent.
Other measures taken by social platforms to address children’s mental health concerns can also be easily circumvented. For example, TikTok implemented a 60-minute default limit for users under 18. But once the limit is reached, minors can simply enter a password to continue watching.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has called social media a “scourge,” said he would back the ban if it was found to be effective.
Murthy believes the impact of social media on young people should be a more pressing concern.
“Why have we failed to address the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those caused by unsafe cars, planes or food?” he wrote.
These harms are not failures of will and parenting; they are a consequence of the deployment of powerful technology without adequate safeguards, transparency or accountability.”
In January, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify as parents worry they are not doing enough to protect young people. Executives highlighted existing safety tools on their platforms and the work they’ve done with nonprofits and law enforcement to protect minors.
Murthy said Monday that Congress must implement legislation that will protect young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation, and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content.
“The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should limit the use of features such as push notifications, autoplay and infinite scrolling that prey on developing brains and contribute to overuse,” Murthy wrote.
Senators Marcia Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal echoed Murthy’s message on Monday.
“We are pleased that the surgeon general — America’s best doctor — continues to call attention to the harmful effects social media is having on our children,” the senators said in a prepared statement.
The surgeon general also recommends requiring companies to share all their health effects data with independent scientists and the public, which they currently do not, and allowing independent safety audits.
Murthy said schools and parents should also be involved in providing phone-free time, and that doctors, nurses and other clinicians should help guide families toward safer practices.
While Murthy is pushing for more to be done about social media in the United States, the European Union introduced ground-breaking new digital rules last year.
The Digital Services Act is part of a set of tech-focused regulations created by the 27-nation bloc – long a global leader in the fight against tech giants.
The DSA is designed to protect users online and make it much more difficult to distribute content that is either illegal, such as hate speech or child sexual abuse, or violates the platform’s terms of service. It also seeks to protect the fundamental rights of citizens such as privacy and freedom of speech.
Officials have warned tech companies that violations could lead to fines worth up to 6 percent of their global revenue – which could run into billions – or even an EU ban.
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