Anyone who buys cigarettes will see the stark warning right on the packaging: “Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.”
“There is still a common attitude out there that, oh, this is just how kids communicate now,” she said. “Or it’s just videos, so it’s harmless.” Many parents don’t use these platforms themselves and aren’t aware of how addictive they can be. After all, companies design algorithms to keep kids using them for as long as possible.A surgeon general warning can serve as a wake-up call for parents and caregivers.
To begin, platforms should be verifying the ages of their users to make sure young kids aren’t accessing inappropriate content. Tech companies say they don’t allow children under 13 to use their platforms, but this is willfully ignoring reality. In aby the nonprofit consumer education group Common Sense Media, 38 percent of kids ages 8 to 12 reported using social media.seek to enforce the minimum age and require parental consent for kids under 18.