• by Colin Kirkland , September 11, 2024

Stemming from a proposal made by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy at the start of the summer, 42 attorneys general demanded on Tuesday that Congress require cigarette-like Surgeon General warning labels on social-media apps to help raise awareness surrounding an ongoing mental health crisis among children, teens and young adults.

“As state Attorneys General, we sometimes disagree about important issues, but all of us share an abiding concern for the safety of the kids in our jurisdictions — and algorithm-driven social media platforms threaten that safety,” the attorneys general said in a letter to Congress.

The letter addresses much of what Murthy wrote in his recent New York Times op-ed, in which he stated that social-media use may double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms and require a warning label to curb overuse and remind parents that they have not been proven to be safe.

Based on evidence from tobacco studies, Murthy believes that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.

“Everyone needs to know the risk associated with these social media platforms,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “The Surgeon General's recommendation is a strong first step in that direction, and I hope warning labels will be implemented swiftly to raise more awareness about this issue.”

According to the Digital Wellness Lab, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. The majority of teens are on Instagram, with 8% saying they use the app “almost constantly,”and a Gallup poll shows that the average daily use among younger users, last summer, was almost 5 hours.

Recently, a number of countries have taken aim at major social-media companies for allegedly harming younger users, and in response are considering new age limits on social media access, including Australia, which says it is trialing several methods for age verification.

Last year, dozens of states also filed lawsuits against major social media companies for taking advantage of younger users. In October 2023, 33 attorneys general accused Meta of misleading the public about the “substantial dangers” of its Facebook and Instagram apps, which they said violated the federal children's privacy law for monetary gains.

“In addition to the states' historic efforts, this ubiquitous problem requires federal action — and a surgeon general's warning on social media platforms, though not sufficient to address the full scope of the problem, would be one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth,” the attorneys general continued.