Social media is driving the teen health crisis, warns surgeon general, and Big Tech must act

Kids of just about every age group are spending more time than ever on social media. While we know too much social media use can be problematic for a host of reasons, the U.S. surgeon general is now warning that all of those hours of TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are driving the mental health crisis among adolescents.

In a new report released Tuesday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls on social media companies—as well as policymakers—to take some ownership of how children use their platforms.

“To date, the burden of protecting youth has fallen predominantly on children, adolescents, and their families,” Murthy writes. “The entire burden of mitigating the risk of harm of social media cannot be placed on the shoulders of children and parents.”

The advisory seems to come in contrast to a new 10-point recommendation system from the American Psychological Association (APA) on teen social media use, which came just weeks ago. The list urged parents to implement social media training for their children, limit screen time, and set forth that parents should be “influencing” which platforms their teens use. While the panel’s intention was to aid parents navigate helping their kids stay safe and healthy concerning social media, some critics felt the points put too much pressure on parents to educate kids on platforms they aren’t even using themselves.

Murthy’s report, which calls for more research to determine the extent of mental health impacts on young people, seems a bit more practical. While he urges parents to model good social media behavior and set time limits, he believes social media platforms haven’t been transparent enough about the possible toll on mental health, specifically for the youngest generation of users. While most social media platforms do have age requirements for users, Murthy believes that those requirements aren’t strict enough, writing that 10 to 19 are formative years, and a “time when kids are developing their identity, their sense of self.”

According to the report, social media and poor mental health go hand-in-hand. It points to a 2019 study that found teens who spent more than three hours a day on social media “faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.” According to the report, about 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 have some form of social media.

And we know they’re pretty much on them all the time.