Should there be warning labels on social media for young people? Editorial Board Roundtable [Video]

Earlier this month, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy used a New York Times op-ed to call for congressional action to mandate a surgeon general’s health “warning label” on social media, particularly social media aimed at young people. It would warn “that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.”

“The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency,” Murthy added in the June 17 op-ed, “and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”

Murthy went further, however, noting that warning labels alone won’t be sufficient. “The advisory I issued a year ago about social media and …