Social media could get warning labels, just like cigarettes

Social media apps are growing at a very fast pace, and almost everyone is using them. While it has its own set of benefits, there are potential downsides too. The US Surgeon General therefore wants social media to come with warning labels. He says that warning labels should clearly state social media’s potential health impacts, just like ones on cigarettes.

US Surgeon General claims that social media is harmful to humans

The US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, has said in the op-ed in The New York Times that “Social media is an important contributor to the teen mental health crisis.” He further says that social media should have a warning label with all the potential health impacts mentioned on it. He gives an indirect reference to cigarettes and other tobacco products that have a warning label with the health impacts written on it.

Vivek Murthy says “It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms. 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 proven safe.”

He not only wants warning labels, but also demands that it be well-researched.

Murthy is very concerned about the impact of social media on teens

Murthy has raised mental health concerns related to social media multiple times in the past. He has even issued an advisory where he claims that social media has “profound risk” to the teens’ mental health. He referred to various studies, one of which claims that higher use of social media increases the risk of anxiety and depression. A survey report also reveals that social media makes teens feel worse about their bodies.

The surgeon is soliciting support from Congress for the implementation of this initiative. He emphasizes that the addition of labels will not inherently render social media a safer environment for adolescents. Nonetheless, he asserts that such an inclusion would benefit parents, educational institutions, medical professionals, and the teenagers themselves.