Surgeon General Issues Warning on Social Media's Impact on Children

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory stating that excessive social media use as a child may lead to a higher risk of poor mental health. The advisory highlights concerns such as exposure to inappropriate content, perpetuation of body dissatisfaction, and overstimulation of the brain. Murthy called on technology companies to do a more effective job at assessing the potential harms to children and providing the “underlying data” for others to review the ways these platforms may be affecting adolescents. The advisory also calls on elected officials to protect children from accessing “harmful content” and suggests enforcing age minimums.