Surgeon General’s Warning Label Should Be Required on Social Media in the US

It is the belief of Surgeon General Vivek Murthy that Congress should mandate a warning label, akin to those seen on cigarettes, on social media platforms.

Research continues to show that the use of social media has detrimental effects on young individuals, particularly adolescents.

As highlighted by Murthy in a piece published in the New York Times (source), “Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms,” with the average daily usage among this age group being 4.8 hours as of the summer of 2023.

Similar to cigarettes, social media platforms are intentionally designed to be addictive in order to maximize profits.

Teens who do not engage on these platforms often find themselves isolated from their peers.

Statistics from a 2023 Pew study showed that one-third of US teens are on social media “almost constantly.”

Conversely, the number of teens who claim they “don’t enjoy life” has nearly doubled in the past decade.

This has led to a movement to combat this trend.

The state of Albany recently passed Governor Hochul’s bill to restrict apps from using addictive algorithms to target individuals aged 18 and under, a significant step in mitigating the influence of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram on young individuals.

Murthy asserts, “The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor.”

Implementing a warning label would not impede on freedom of speech, but rather acknowledge the reality that excessive social media use is detrimental to the mental health of America’s youth.

It is imperative that we take this evidence seriously.

Congress should heed Murthy’s recommendations.