Scroll Addiction: Why Social Media Needs a Warning Label

Social media is addictive. The U.S. Surgeon General has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms, similar to the ones we are all accustomed to on cigarette packages. Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. He said it needs a warning label. Up to 95% of youth aged 13-17 use social media, and a third of those say they use it almost constantly, according to Pew Research. He said Congress needs to address the problem the same way they approach other harmful products for children.

TikTok has introduced a 60-minute limit for kids under 13. So are kids aged 14 to 17 still unlimited? This has led to many other problems, like bullying and obesity, that need to be addressed. Just over the weekend, I saw a report that said 72% of all teachers want cell phones banned from schools. That's huge. We don't act, though. So what do we do? We write articles every day, trying to get people to read and scroll every day. Kind of hypocritical, isn't it? I guess the difference is we target adults, but I don't like it.

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Murthy went on to say that our youth need to be protected from platforms that collect sensitive data, online harassment, abuse and exploitation, and exposure to violence and sexual content.

The sad part is most parents don't have any idea what their kids are up to, and that could fix half of our problems.

See you tomorrow at 5.