Surgeon General Calls for Warning Labels on Social Media Platforms

Publish Date : 09/12/2024

The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced on Monday he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents the platforms might damage adolescents’ mental health.

In an essay published in The New York Times opinion section, Dr. Murthy pointed to research suggesting teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media faced a significantly higher risk of mental health problems, and 46 percent of adolescents said social media made them feel worse about their bodies.

U.S. teens are spending an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, according to a Gallup survey of more than 1,500 adolescents released last fall.