The top USA health official issued a stark warning to parents, tech companies, and regulators on Tuesday, saying there is growing evidence that social media use may seriously harm children.
According to USA Surgeon General
In a lengthy advisory, USA Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated that, while social media has many advantages, “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, social media utilize by young people in the United States is nearly universal, with up to 95 percent of adolescents reporting utilizing a social platform and more than a third saying they do so “almost constantly.”
According to Murthy’s report, social media can help children and adolescents connect with others, but it also contains “extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content,” which can “normalize” self-harm and suicide.
It can perpetuate body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and depression, as well as expose children to online bullying at a critical stage in brain development, according to the report.
Murthy urged policymakers to strengthen social media safety standards and urged tech companies to assess the impact of their products on children responsibly and share data with researchers.
He also suggested that parents create tech-free zones in their homes to encourage in-person communication and to educate children by modeling healthy, responsible online behavior.
The report comes at a time when authorities across the United States are looking for ways to regulate social media use and reduce its negative effects, particularly on young people.
The state of Montana banned the TikTok on its territory earlier this month. The decision is being challenged in court by the Chinese-owned video-sharing company.
In March, Utah became the first USA state to require social media sites to obtain parental consent for minors’ accounts.
“We are in the midst of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is a significant contributor to that crisis, which we must address urgently,” Murthy said.
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