America's Top Doctor on Why He Wants Warning Labels on Social Media
Jun 24, 2024 | by Greg Price
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy made news recently by suggesting digital warning labels to users of social media about how harmful it is. Theswould be similar to the warnings on cigarettes. He highlights the growing evidence linking social media use to mental health issues among teens, including depression, anxiety, and body image. Adolescents are not little adults. They are more susceptible to social comparison and social suggestion. He suggests, as Surgeon General and as a dad of two kids under 10, to delay social media adoption for children until after middle school. To build healthy relationships and social skills, he suggests creating tech-free zones and establishing times and places where technology is not allowed. This protects sleep, increases in-person interactions, physical activity, and learning. He calls on Congress to put in place measures that protect kids from harmful content and from manipulative features that lead them to excessive use.
Dr. Murthy suggests collaborating with other parents to create shared rules about social media use. This makes it easier for children to accept limitations when their peers have similar restrictions.
Limiting social media and screens and preserving childhood have been core to the New Village School since our founding. We are the best school in Marin to maintain these practices, and our community supports parents at school and home. A New Village School graduate is interesting, interested in the world, and engaged students. A community that supports and shares a similar outlook on media is essential. As a parent of four NVS graduates, we waited until the start of high school for each of our kids to get their first cell phone and access to social media. Saying no is easier than monitoring and restricting, and being among other families who did the same was invaluable. When our kids were in high school, we spoke of the dangers of social media, maintaining private accounts, and how to manage relationships online.
Being a parent is hard work; being in a village that supports you makes it easier.
The June 21st Daily podcast is worth a listen.