Social media apps should have a warning label about their potential to harm young people's mental health, the U.S. Surgeon General said Monday. Shares of social media companies — including Facebook-parent Meta's stock — opened trading slightly lower Monday but bounced back.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote in a New York Times op-ed that social media is an "important contributor" to a mental health crisis among young people. A warning label could increase awareness and change behavior, he wrote, citing similar warnings applied to tobacco products.
"It is time to require a surgeon general's warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents," Murthy wrote. "A surgeon general's warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe."
He said a warning label would be part of a broader regulation for social media.
Shares of Meta Platforms — which owns Facebook and Instagram — opened lower but recovered to a 1% gain at 509.16 in recent action on the stock market today. Shares of Snapchat parent Snap were also down early before pulling ahead to a 2% gain at 15.95. Reddit, meanwhile, was trading flat near 61.
Surgeon General Pushes For Social Media Regulation
The surgeon general last year issued an advisory about social media and the mental health of young users. Murthy wrote Monday that Congress needs to take action to shield young users from online harassment, abuse and exploitation. That includes barring social media platforms from collecting sensitive data from children.
He cited a 2019 study, which found heightened risk of mental health problems for kids spending more than three hours daily on social media. Meanwhile, teenagers spend an average of nearly five hours per day on social media, according to a 2023 Gallup poll.
Further, Murthy said Congress should restrict the use of push notifications, autoplay videos and infinite scrolling features that "contribute to excessive use."
Social media companies also should share data on the health effects of their apps, he wrote, and allow independent audits.
"While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words," Murthy wrote. "We need proof."
Meta Stock: Multistate Lawsuit Over Young User Impact
Meta and Snap did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Social media firms are facing growing scrutiny over how their products affect young people.
In January, Meta Chief Executive and Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg testified before a Senate committee on the subject. The hearing, titled "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis," also included leaders of TikTok, Snapchat, Discord and X, formerly Twitter.
Meta, meanwhile, was sued in October by attorneys general from more than 40 states. The lawsuit said Facebook and Instagram were designed to "ensnare youth and teens."
Following the lawsuit, a Meta spokesperson said the company "share(s) the attorneys general's commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families."
