The advice was initially made by the Surgeon General of the United States.
In June, the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy, published an opinion piece in which he advocated for social media to introduce a warning label regarding the adverse effects it has on users’ health, comparable to the warnings that are placed on cigarettes and other tobacco products. In order to demonstrate their support for Murthy’s approach, forty-two attorneys general have taken the initiative to write an open letter to Congress.
“This ubiquitous problem requires federal action—and a surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms, though not sufficient to address the full scope of the problem, would be one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth,” according to the letter sent by the organization. “A warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people, but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research, and investment into the oversight of social media platforms.”
The letter was signed by the attorneys general of almost every state; the only states that did not sign it were Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia and West Virginia. There were additional signatures from the attorneys general of American Samoa, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Both the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which were both recently enacted in the Senate, were recognized by the attorneys general as additional critical steps for protecting the mental health of young people. A number of attempts were made in order to bring the bills to a vote on the floor of the Senate, and it is not obvious whether or not they have the support necessary to be approved by the House of Representatives.