The U.S. Surgeon General has many responsibilities we assume but they are MOSTLY known for slapping warning labels on things like cigarettes and alcohol. And now, a NEW label may be on the way.
The current Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants to put a warning label on social media. Like, all of it, I guess.
In an op-ed in the "New York Times", Murthy said, "It is time to require a [warning label] on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents." It may seem silly, but Murthy says a warning label would regularly remind both parents and kids that social media has not been proven safe and there is data that shows the warnings on cigarettes HAVE been effective.
It's worth pointing out that 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 say that they use a social media platform and more than one-third say they use social media "almost constantly." The Surgeon General actually doesn't have the authority to add his own labels. That requires a Congressional action, which means nothing will come of it. And even if Congress did stop bickering long enough to consider this a "warning label" would face SIGNIFICANT pushback from the tech companies.
(Source: Associated Press)
Photo: Getty