Social media has changed the world. There are good and bad things it. One bad thing is that it can cause mental health problems. This is something the USA's top doctor wants to address. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants social media companies to display mental health warnings their platforms. He is particularly worried the harm the platforms do to young people. He said algorithms lead youngsters to extreme sexual and violent content. Dr Murthy said: "It is time to require a surgeon general's warning label social media platforms, stating that social media is associated significant mental health harms adolescents." He said laws were also needed to keep young people safe online.
Dr Murthy has campaigned tighter controls social media many years. In 2023, he warned that social media presented, "a profound risk harm to the mental health and well-being children and adolescents". His recent warning is in a guest essay published The New York Times. He wrote: "The mental health crisis young people is an emergency. Social media has emerged as an important contributor." He has concerns about how long young people spend online. He said youngsters "who spend more than three hours a day social media face double the risk anxiety and depression symptoms". Murthy thinks online warnings will help, just as warnings cigarettes have helped.
