Surgeon General Calls for Social Media Warning Labels

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General, is urging Congress to place warning labels on social media apps, likening their mental health risks to those of cigarettes and alcohol. Highlighting research that links social media use to higher rates of depression in teens. Murthy emphasizes the urgent need for parental awareness and legislative action.

While acknowledging that a warning label alone won’t solve the problem, Murthy suggests a combined effort from parents, schools, and lawmakers to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on children’s mental health.

This is much easier said than done, which is why parents should work together with other families to establish shared rules, so no parents have to struggle alone or feel guilty when their teens say they are the only one who has to endure limits.