Warning messages naming depression, anxiety, and overall mental health harms were rated as more discouraging by teenagers and young adults than the take-a-break prompts social media companies already display, according to a randomized experiment published this week in JAMA Health Forum.
The finding lands as four states prepare to require warnings on platforms. California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York have passed laws, and California's takes effect on January 1, 2027. Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have proposed legislation. Researchers said the wording had not previously been tested rigorously on the people it targets.
