West India News Desk
Washington DC – On June 17, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require social media platforms to include warning labels highlighting the potential mental health risks to teenagers. Murthy’s call for legislation comes as awareness of the dangers of social media for young people grows and as platforms face lawsuits over their role in the youth mental health crisis and seek to mitigate harms.
In an op-ed for The New York Times, Mursi stressed the urgency of the situation. “The youth mental health crisis is an emergency, and social media is a key contributor,” he wrote. Mursi suggested that warning labels like those on tobacco products could raise awareness and encourage behavior change.
Murthy cited statistics that said teens who spend more than three hours on social media each day are at increased risk of anxiety and depression, and that almost half of teens report that these platforms have a negative impact on their self-image.
“We have the expertise, resources and tools to make social media safe for children. Now is the time to muster the will to act,” Murthy said.
Surgeon General Mursi has made addressing the mental health crisis in the United States a top priority, with a particular focus on the impact of social media on adolescents. Last year, Mursi issued a public health advisory detailing the harms social media poses to young people and recommended new safety measures for policymakers, platforms and parents to implement.
