US surgeon general calls for social media platforms to display mental health warnings

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy argued social media companies should be required to display mental health warnings about the use of their platforms. Murthy argued in an op-ed for the New York Times that the platforms have been particularly harmful for young Americans. The official first sounded the alarm about social media last year when he called on Congress to enact policies that would prevent adolescents from being exposed to extreme violent and sexual content via algorithms.

Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use," he continued.

Murthy clarified that a warning on social media would not be enough to protect young people on its own. Legislation would be required on both the federal and state levels.

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Surgeon general calls on Congress to require social media warning labels, like those on cigarettesThe U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. In a Monday opinion piece for The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.
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