THE United States’s top health official yesterday issued a stark warning to parents, tech companies and regulators, saying there is growing evidence social media use may seriously harm children.

In a lengthy advisory, US surgeon-general Vivek Murthy said while not without benefits, “there are ample indicators that social media can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents”. 

Social media use by young people in the US is nearly universal, with up to 95% of adolescents reporting using a social platform and more than a third saying they do so “almost constantly”, the Health and Human Services Department said.

Murthy’s report said social media can help children and adolescents find a community to connect, but it also contains “extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content”, which can “normalise” self-harm and suicide.

It can perpetuate body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and depression and expose children to online bullying while they are undergoing a critical stage in brain development, the report warned.

Murthy called on policymakers to strengthen safety standards around social media and urged tech companies to responsibly assess the impact of their products on children and share data with researchers.

He advised parents to establish tech-free zones at home to promote in-person communication, and to educate children by modelling healthy, responsible online behaviour.

The report comes at a time when authorities across the US are searching for ways to regulate social media use and curb its ill effects on young people in particular.

Earlier this month, Montana banned the use of TikTok. The Chinese-owned video-sharing giant is taking the move to court. In March, Utah became the first US state to require parental consent for minors to use social media sites. 

“We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned social media is an important driver of that crisis – one we must urgently address,” Murthy said. – AFP, May 24, 2023.