Teenagers in a group starting intently at their screens without paying attention to those around them.
The surgeon general of the United States called for placing cigarette-style warnings on social media platforms to alert users that the platforms can harm young people’s mental health.
Writing in a New York Times opinion piece, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy = urged Congress to enact legislation that would require that social media platforms include a surgeon general’s warning to “regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”
The essay, entitled “Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms,” said that “[T]he mental health crisis among young people is an emergency” and that, in an emergency, “[Y]ou assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.”
Murthy has often pointed out that adolescents who spend several hours a day or more on these platforms are at greater risk of experiencing anxiety and depression. In addition, studies have found that many young people say the platforms have worsened their body image. The surgeon general today emphasized that warning labels, such as those on tobacco and alcohol products, have been demonstrated to change people’s behaviors.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
All Rights Reserved Travel