US Surgeon General: "Warning Labels Should Be Attached to SNS Like Alcohol and Tobacco"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The U.S. Surgeon General, known as the "primary care physician for Americans," has called for social networking services (SNS) to display warning labels similar to those on alcohol and tobacco products. This is due to their harmful effects on adolescent mental health.

Vivek Murthy, Director of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and Surgeon General (pictured), stated in an op-ed for The New York Times (NYT) on the 17th (local time), "It is time to require SNS platforms to display warning labels under the Surgeon General's name, indicating that SNS can cause serious harm to adolescent mental health."

Murthy also emphasized that "legislative procedures in the U.S. Congress are necessary to mandate warning labels," urging lawmakers to take active involvement.

Surgeon General Murthy introduced several research findings that represent SNS as a primary factor in the adolescent mental health crisis. He pointed out, "Adolescents who use SNS for more than three hours a day have twice the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms," adding, "As of last summer, the average daily SNS usage time for this adolescent age group was 4.8 hours."

Murthy also recommended limiting SNS features such as the collection of sensitive adolescent data, push notifications, and autoplay functions that encourage excessive use.

Previously, in May of last year, Murthy had issued a warning that SNS could pose a serious risk to the mental health of adolescent females.

This latest recommendation from the Surgeon General is expected to intensify debates around SNS use among children and adolescents both within and outside the United States. Recommendations from the U.S. Surgeon General often mark turning points that leave a lasting impact on public health policy.

At the end of last year, 41 U.S. state governments filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, citing excessive addictiveness and harm to adolescent mental health. In some states, legislation banning SNS account ownership by adolescents has also passed through legislatures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.