Surgeon General calls for warning labels on social media platforms
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy announced Monday that he would push for a warning label on social media platforms to warn parents that use of the platforms could harm teenagers' mental health.Warning labels – like those that appear on tobacco and alcohol products – are one of the most powerful tools available to the nation's top health officials, but Dr. Murthy cannot require them unilaterally; the action requires congressional approval.The proposal builds on several years of mounting warnings from the surgeon general. In a May 2023 advisory, he recommended that parents immediately set limits on phone use and urged Congress to quickly develop health and safety standards for technology platforms.He also called on tech companies to make changes: to share internal data on the ...