A warning label on social media might help teens and their parents understand that the platforms can have serious impacts on mental and physical health.
Study after study points to the potential of social media to be detrimental to children's development. Now the Surgeon General wants to put a warning label on social media platforms to help kids and their parents understand the risks.
In an OpEd published in The New York Times on Monday, Vivek H. Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, called for warning labels on social media platforms. The warning label, which Murthy suggested might be similar to that found on tobacco products, "would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe."
![Children seated together but all looking at social media on their smartphones.](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/oanNkUk49K8AEzgo8QmLAHs7IHQ=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-695859632-f0550e5ef14e4fd9a6a8b42a4cf2abc7.jpg)
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However, Murthy's suggestion was just that. A warning label such as the one called for would only be possible with "congressional action," and while Murthy did issue an advisory in 2023 to illuminate the risk to adolescent mental health associated with social media use, there does not appear to be any Congressional movement toward creating a warning label at this time.
Social media companies, says Murthy, claim they are making their platforms safer, but "We need proof," Murthy said. "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."
The 2022 Digital Wellness Lab's Pulse Survey found that more than 63 percent of young adults surveyed lose sleep because of time spent on their devices. Nearly half (about 46 percent) felt social media made them feel worse about their body image, and about 41 percent felt their use of screen media caused physical issues like headaches, back and neck pain, or fatigue.
However, Murthy pointed out, "To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people." Instead, Murthy said Congress, companies, and society should all play a role in ensuring social media is safe for children. Some of those recommendations include independent safety audits, phone-free experiences in schools and at home, and shared rules that help parents feel connected and supported.
"The moral test of any society is how well it protects its children," wrote Murthy. "We have the expertise, resources, and tools to make social media safe for our kids. Now is the time to summon the will to act. Our children’s well-being is at stake."