U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing a warning today that social media poses a threat to kids’ mental health, escalating calls for new safeguards aimed at minors. The advisory adds to scrutiny over the effects of excessive use and harmful content, which has been blamed for consequences ranging from disrupting kids’ sleep to promoting suicidal thoughts.
Murthy told Axios he’s calling on policymakers, platforms and parents to create safe limits. He’s previously said he believes age 13 is “too early” for kids to join social media.
The White House is concurrently releasing plans that include creating an interagency task force on kids’ online safety, establishing best practices for teaching digital literacy and habits and supporting efforts to stymie harassment and child abuse online. “What kids are experiencing today on social media is unlike anything prior generations have had to contend with,” said Murthy. “People have compared themselves for millennia,” he said. “But never to this degree with the sheer overwhelming volume of content that’s coming at our kids 24/7. When that happens — especially at this vulnerable stage of development — we have to worry about the negative impact on our children.”
Though Murthy’s recommendations aren’t binding, they can drive public health debates and provide a rallying point for regulators, providers and policymakers. The American Psychological Association called on Murthy last year to warn about the potential risks. And a steady drumbeat of research has chronicled negative impacts on youths’ self-esteem, their ability to maintain attention, and how online content can promote feelings of exclusion.
An estimated 95% of teens ages 13–17, and 40% of those 8–12, are on social media, where they’re commonly exposed to extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content, per Murthy’s advisory. Those who spend more than three hours a day on social media face twice the risk of experiencing depression and anxiety — and a survey of teens shows they spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on various platforms.
More than one-third of teens ages 13–17 report using social media “almost constantly” and nearly two-thirds of teens say they use social media every day. One-third or more of girls ages 11–15 say they feel “addicted” to certain platforms. “This is not an issue we can afford to wait years to take action on. It’s an urgent issue now,” Murthy said.
Federal lawmakers have been eyeing various responses.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recently cleared a handful of bills, including one from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, that would limit the liability protections of companies like Meta and Twitter in cases of child sexual exploitation. The panel also advanced a measure by Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin aimed at curbing online child sexual exploitation.
Federal lawmakers are also eyeing legislation that would create parental consent rules for kids ages 13–17 and require more rigorous age verification measures and independent audits to ensure meaningful steps are taken to address risks to kids. Other proposals include allowing users to demand tech companies delete personal information collected before a child turns 13.
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