Harmful social networks

“It is time to demand that social media platforms carry warning labels indicating significant harm to adolescents’ mental health,” Murthy writes. “Warning letter [від] “The surgeon general, who has requested congressional action, will regularly remind parents and teenagers that social media is unproven.”

This isn’t the first time Murthy has raised the issue of mental health regarding social media. It published a recommendation last year making similar arguments, also arguing that: social media poses a “serious risk” to young people’s mental health.

In his latest article, the doctor cited a study showing that: More active use of social networks is associated with increased risk of anxiety and depressionand a survey in which nearly half of teens reported that “social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”

As Murthy points out, the largest social networks in the world are almost entirely owned by American companies, so warning labels could not appear without the cooperation of the US Congress. And it’s unclear how much support he might get for such a measure, but lawmakers across the country have shown some support for things like age verification laws to crack down on social media over safety concerns and its impact on children.

He also notes that warning signs alone won’t make social media safer, but they will help parents, schools, doctors and others be better informed.

There is no seatbelt for parents to push in, no helmet to replace, no assurance that trusted experts have researched these platforms and ensured their safety for our children. It’s just parents and their kids trying to figure this out on their own against some of the best product engineers and most resourced companies in the world.
says Vivek Murthy.

The problem of social networks

It is worth noting that the problem of the negative impact of social networks on the psyche has been raised for a long time. We have seen numerous lawsuits seeking damages against internet companies, many studies by independent scientists proving harmful effects, and more.

A few years ago, a former Meta employee leaked a number of company documents to journalists, from which it became clear that the company had researched the issue of addiction on social networks Facebook and Instagram, found facts about addiction and its subsequent negative effects, but decided not to do so. ignore it and do nothing.

Sites like Instagram not only cause addiction to the constant scrolling of the feed that goes on and on and never ends, but can also cause self-esteem issues in children who don’t fully understand the utter fakeness of what they’re seeing. Observing other people’s “ideal” lives, “ideal” bodies, “ideal” careers, they compare other people with themselves, experiencing a series of complex and psychological traumas that can lead to very serious consequences and physical diseases.