Doctor's orders
The surgeon general wants a warning label on social media for teens — but why stop there?

Vivek Murthy wants the government to stub out social media use by kids. In a New York Times op-ed, the surgeon general this week details the growing body of evidence linking TikTok, Instagram, and other apps to the mental health crisis among young people. There's the study that found adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms. Notably, the average daily use for a teenager is now about five hours. There's the survey in which nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. And then there are the endless anecdotes from teens who don't know how to look away from apps designed to deliver a steady scroll of dopamine hits. These platforms are engineered to be addictive, so Murthy proposes slapping an official surgeon general's warning on apps — like those on cigarettes — to "regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe."
As a worried father of two, I can only say let's do it. But why stop at warnings for kids when excessive social media use is also rotting adult brains? What about if every time Elon Musk hit post on his latest X tirade, he were to see a pop-up stating, "This message may contribute to partisan animosity and further alienate Tesla owners. Do you still want to share this thought with the world?" Or when a celebrity is about to broadcast a filter-treated beach selfie on Instagram, a banner slides across the screen cautioning, "Searching for affirmation from strangers online may only exacerbate your feelings of insecurity. Have you considered seeking the answer within?" Even passive users of social media such as myself could be targeted by such PSAs: "Your 1 a.m. doomscrolling on Reddit about impending climate apocalypse is hurting the planet. Sleep would use less power." Dr. Murthy, I'm ready for your tough medicine.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theunis Bates is a senior editor at The Week's print edition. He has previously worked for Time, Fast Company, AOL News and Playboy.
-
Nayib Bukele: the Salvadoran ally in Trump's deportation machine
In the Spotlight El Salvador's popular strongman rose to power promising to make his country safe
By David Faris
-
Magazine solutions - May 2, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 2, 2025
By The Week US
-
Magazine printables - May 2, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 2, 2025
By The Week US
-
RFK Jr.'s focus on autism draws the ire of researchers
In the Spotlight Many of Kennedy's assertions have been condemned by experts and advocates
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Hantavirus: the rare pathogen linked to rodents that attacks the lungs
The Explainer Despite the low risk of contracting it, the virus could be potentially deadly
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Mental health: a case of overdiagnosis?
Talking Point Issues at 'the milder end of the spectrum' may be getting wrongly pathologised
By The Week UK
-
Washwood Heath: Birmingham's pioneering neighbourhood health service
In the Spotlight NHS England chair says there is a 'really good argument this is the model for the future'
By The Week UK
-
Fighting against fluoride
Feature A growing number of communities are ending water fluoridation. Will public health suffer?
By The Week US
-
Arts on prescription: why doctors are prescribing museums and comedy
In The Spotlight Stressed-out patients in Switzerland are being prescribed a trip to the museum to boost their mental wellbeing
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Five years on: How Covid changed everything
Feature We seem to have collectively forgotten Covid’s horrors, but they have completely reshaped politics
By The Week US
-
Sleepmaxxing: is the latest viral trend doing more harm than good?
In the Spotlight Counting sheep is out, taking supplements are in
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK