Surgeon general issues public advisory on risks of social media to youth

Social media risks advisory overview: 

• Who: U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy released a public advisory about the potential damaging effects of social media on youth. 
• Why: Murthy called for action on determining what types of social media content can cause harm and what strategies can be used to protect social media users.
• Where: The public advisory is nationwide. 

The U.S. surgeon general has released a 19-page public advisory warning about the risks of potentially damaging effects on children who use social media. 

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy writes that, while the effect social media has on today’s young people is not yet fully understood, there are “ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

“At this time, we do not yet have enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents,” the social media risks advisory states. 

Concerns about the effects of social media on youth have increased and are shared among researchers, parents, caregivers, young people, public health experts and others, according to the advisory. 

As many as 95% of youth between the ages of 13 and 17 report that they use a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” the advisory states. 

Additionally, Murthy writes that almost 40% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media, even though 13 is “commonly the required minimum age used by social media platforms in the U.S.” 

“Despite this widespread use among children and adolescents, robust independent safety analyses on the impact of social media on youth have not yet been conducted,” the social media risks advisory states. 

Frequent social media use may be linked to changes in brain, surgeon general says

Murthy warns “frequent social media use” could be linked to “distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala,” an area of the brain important for both emotional learning and behavior, as well as the prefrontal cortex, which is important for impulse control, regulating emotions, and moderating social behavior.  

Frequent social media use may also increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments, according to the advisory. 

“As such, adolescents may experience heightened emotional sensitivity to the communicative and interactive nature of social media,” the advisory states. 

Murthy ultimately issued a call for action into determining what strategies can be used to protect users from the social media risks and what type of content can cause harm. 

“Our children have become unknowing participants in a decades-long experiment,” the advisory states. “It is critical that independent researchers and technology companies work together to rapidly advance our understanding of the impact of social media on children and adolescents.” 

In related news, earlier this month, a pair of senators re-introduced a bill that would amend the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which was created to try and increase data privacy protections for underage internet users. 

If you or your loved one suffered a mental health condition from social media use, you may qualify to participate in a lawsuit investigation.

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