The U.S. surgeon general, Vivek H. Murthy, recently published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for social media platforms to include health warnings for younger users. He stated that it is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, emphasizing that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.
This call comes after Murthy’s office issued an advisory last year on the potential effects of social media use on teenage users. In that advisory, he urged social media companies to prioritize safety and privacy in their product designs and enforce minimum age requirements.
This is a developing story and updates may follow. ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Dr. Amanda Kravitz, and Dr. Mariam Gomaa contributed to this report. Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.