Surgeon General: Warning Label for Social Media Platforms
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The Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy's opinion essay explaining why he calls for a warning label for social media platforms:
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The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
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It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. ... -
I was wondering if they would compare this to the tobacco warnings. ETA i mean, i was wondering what they found from the tobacco warnings and how this would compare.
I’ll be curious to ask my students what they think about this when the fall semester starts.
