Various regions and governments are looking to make social media safe for teenagers as they consider new age limits on the platform. However, American regulators are also looking to take action in a less restrictive fashion.
Now, a coalition of over 40 state attorneys general has urged Congress to implement safety labels on social media platforms. These labels include warnings of their potential risks to children.
The new initiative is championed by US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy. He received bipartisan support for his proposal.
The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency, and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours. Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”
Murthy believes that social media platforms should include clear warning tags, much like labels added to cigarette packaging.
“Evidence from tobacco studies shows that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.”
In practice, the warning would need to be displayed on any download access points, as well as on the home page of the apps themselves.
But the question is, would that work? Well, in theory, no one bothers to read the terms of engagement when using social media platforms. So, it is possible that kids and parents may also just overlook these tags too.
Other regions like Australia have also proposed something like this. Several US states have also explored this path in the past.
The new proposal will go to the congress for further action.
