US surgeon general calls for cigarette-style warnings on social media platforms

Dr Vivek Murthy asks for required labels that state ‘social media is associated with significant mental health harms’

The US surgeon general has asked for a warning label to be included on social media platforms, similar to ones included on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

In a New York Times op-ed piece published Monday, Dr Vivek Murthy argued that social media platforms have contributed to a mental health crisis among US youth.

“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, comparing the labels to one used on tobacco products.