The U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, called for a warning label for social media platforms in a New York Times Guest Essay, advising parents that the technology may fuel a mental health crisis among their children.

He suggested that such a label would be similar to those placed on cigarettes and alcohol products.

In his guest essay, he writes:

Why is it that we have failed to respond to the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food? These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability.

Warning labels have proven to help changing the public’s behavior; with smoking declining sharply in the five decades since one was required for cigarette products.

I think that social media overall is hurting our society much more than it helps.

This is especially for children “growing up” on it. Here are my top 5:

  1. Bullying. The bullying, shaming and hateful rants that come from the ability to post anonymously is bringing out the worst in people. Cyberbullying is off the charts and it’s killing our civilized way of life. Society is more split than ever dividing people into us and the. There is alot less dialogue happening and people (like me) staying in their safe bubbles.
  2. YOLO. The competition that now exists to “live your best life” hurts all of us that can never in their daily life live up to the fabulousness of what other post on social media. Excessive use of social media has been linked to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. It can contribute to feelings of low self-esteem with comparison to others.
  3. The endless scroll is addictive. Social media platforms are designed to be addictive, using algorithms to keep people engaged. This can affect productivity and lead to less real-life interactions.
  4. Collection of private data. Social media platforms collect a lot of personal data, raising concerns about privacy and data security which can be misused by third parties.
  5. Spread of misinformation: Social media is killing what people can agree on to be the truth. It has been hijacked by those who spread false information like rumors and conspiracy theories. This can have real-world consequences like influencing elections or public health decisions.

All of this is exponentially worse for children. I keep thinking of how many of my parents friends died from cigarettes without a warning label.

What do you think? Should social media have a warning label?