U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for a warning label on social media platforms to combat the youth mental health crisis, stating it's time to issue a surgeon general's warning on social media regarding significant mental health harms for adolescents.
Murthy believes a warning label, similar to those on cigarette packaging, could change behaviors around social media, citing tobacco studies showing that warning labels increase awareness and change behavior.
Survey results indicated that 76% of Latino parents would limit or monitor their children's social media use if prompted by a surgeon general's warning, but Murthy also emphasized that a label alone won't make social media safer.
Teenagers spend nearly five hours daily on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with a 2019 APA study revealing a 47% increase in suicide-related outcomes among young adults correlating with the rise in social media use.
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