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Surgeon General Warns ‘Profound Risk’ Of Social Media To Youth

Author Laila Abuelhawa
May 24th 12:24 PM
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during the United States Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting January 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Later this week, President Joe Biden will welcome mayors to the White House.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a warning regarding the impact of social media and its “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” In the 19-page advisory released on Tuesday (May 23), Murthy urged Americans to pay close attention to this “urgent public health issue.”

“Our children have become unknowing participants in a decades-long experiment,” the advisory stated. “In early adolescence, when identities and sense of self-worth are forming, brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions and peer comparison.” According to the advisory, up to 95% of youth ages 13–17 report use a social media platform. More than a third of that says they use social media “almost constantly.” Even 40% of children ages 8–12 also use social media.

NEW: Today, I released a Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and #YouthMentalHealth. This is the next step in our office’s work to address our youth mental health crisis. https://t.co/6JadYlxORy 1/7 pic.twitter.com/UrHNP1Uq15

— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) May 23, 2023

In an interview with The New York Times, the Surgeon General said children are impacted by too much exposure to social apps. “They’re in a different phase of development, and they’re in a critical phase of brain development,” he told the publication. The report also encouraged parents to monitor their children’s social media use. In addition, implementing a “family media plan” where screen-time expectations could be set.

RELATED: Teens Checking Social Media Constantly Are Changing Their Brains

Social media exposure is linked to conditions including eating disorders, body dysmorphia and low self-esteem, per the report, with some evidence also pointing to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Though Murthy’s advisory didn’t condemn social media use for young adults and children, it concluded: “We do not yet have enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.”

Last week, Montana became the first state to issue a statewide TikTok ban. The legislation passed in both the state House and Senate this spring. It cited both security concerns and argued that the popular social media platform “directs minors to engage in dangerous activities” in order to generate content, such as “throwing objects at moving automobiles, taking excessive amounts of medication,” and “licking doorknobs and toilet seats to place oneself at risk of contracting coronavirus.”

To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana.

— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) May 17, 2023

TikTok Is The Most Popular Site On The Planet, Overtakes Google

TikTok has dethroned Google to become the world’s most visited website, new data has revealed.

Per The Independent, the viral video app ended the search engine’s dominance, which had seen it rank as the most popular domain for all of 2020 and the first part of 2021.

Google.com – which includes Docs, Calendar, Maps, Translate, Photos, Flights, News and more – was unable to compete with the budding social app, which now counts more than 1 billion active users around the world. TikTok.com also overtook Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix — all of which ranked above it last year.

One of the more obvious reasons for users flocking to TikTok this year has been the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced people to spend more time indoors and away from real-life social gatherings. These online browsing patterns continued even when lockdown restrictions came to an end, with “the summer of freedom” creating an opportunity for users to refresh and update their social media accounts.

See some of our favorite TikToks of 2021 below.

  • Don't Step On The Chalk Art

    https://www.tiktok.com/@zachking/video/6974037602315848966

  • Here Comes The Boy

    https://www.tiktok.com/@felixgabrielmusic/video/6981465047407004933

  • Tenet

    https://www.tiktok.com/@kuznecovsky/video/7034571132384693505

  • Turn The World Off

    https://www.tiktok.com/@ollenilssonen/video/6944784803866725638

  • Learn On TikTok

    https://www.tiktok.com/@ongsquad/video/7006492397936921858

  • Bartenders Be Like

    @salabonce

    Ur at Thirsty Thursdays and you order a Pink Whitney bc it’s ur bday 😉 #foryou #4u #fyp

    ♬ original sound - Sal Styles
  • Byron

    https://www.tiktok.com/@sidetalknyc/video/6996060463347862790

  • Time Warp Scan Queen

    @chantegeyser

    Note to self: : BE YOU …. #TimeWarpScan #fyp #foryou #viral #xyzbca #chantegeyser #xyzbca #beyou

    ♬ Bananza (Belly Dancer) - puhrplehqze
  • Dance Tutorials Made Easy

    @elijah.word

    What happens on our breaks! #fyp #SamsClubScanAndGo @joleenaizwizard Sammy in the back!

    ♬ Love Nwantiti (Dance Lessons) - Lord Hec
  • Iced Coffee-Making Videos

    @canonryder

    Reply to @faithreichelderfer

    ♬ original sound - Canon Ryder
  • Goat Child

    @ozzysoscopades

    Real life conversations with my kid! #ozzysoscopades

    ♬ original sound - OzzyGDavis
  • Gordon Ramsay Throws Down In The Kitchen And Dance Floor

    @gordonramsayofficial

    Hey @tillyramsay did you say I can’t #dance ?? #fooddance #tiktokfood

    ♬ Я буду ебать - Moreart
  • Caught A Vibe

    @italianloverboy

    It be like that. #caughtavibe #eyes #fyp #yesimparked

    ♬ Caught A Vibe - Lancesavali

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Author Laila Abuelhawa
Category:
  • Dave and Chuck The Freak
  • Human Interest
  • Lifestyle
Tags:
Mental Health,Social Media,TikTok

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