Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo is an Associate Professor of Communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book, “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back,” was recently published by Alcove Press. XThe opinions expressed in this op-ed are her own. Read more opinion pieces at CNN.
CNN —
A year after issuing a landmark warning about the dangers of social media to young people, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy upped the ante on Monday, calling for mandatory warning labels on social media apps.
“The youth mental health crisis is an emergency, and social media has emerged as a key contributing factor,” he said in a New York Times op-ed.
It would be easy to dismiss his call as inadequate, given the nature of the problem and the fact that warning labels are not reliably implemented or even visibly displayed. Congress would have to pass a labeling mandate, but then, because social media apps are not physical products, it could be easy for social networks to bury warnings in lengthy terms of service that most people probably won't read.
But this warning should be a huge wake-up call for parents, Congress and society at large to act to keep children safe on social networks, and previous warnings from the Surgeon General show that awareness can be a big factor in bringing about change.
The Surgeon General's most famous warning, contained in a 1964 report, was about the health effects of smoking. The following year, Congress passed legislation requiring health warnings on cigarette packages. A 1958 Gallup poll found that only 44% of Americans believed that smoking causes cancer. By 1968, just three years after Congress mandated the warnings, that number had risen to 78%. The attention generated by this warning is widely considered to have had a significant impact on changing public attitudes.
If Congress acts now, it could force a similar poll on the link between kids' social media use and negative mental health outcomes. Murthy cited a 2019 study that found young people who use social media for more than three hours a day are at higher risk for mental health issues. He also noted that a 2023 Gallup poll found that young people spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on social media.
But parents shouldn't wait for Congress to act: there are steps they can take now to protect their children.
As I've said before, it's a good idea to wait until your child is 16 years old before allowing them to use social networks. Unfortunately, once their children's friends start using social media, parents often feel pressured to allow their children to use the apps lest they be left out of social media conversations and plans. That's why in my new book, I argue that parents need to band together with the parents of their children's friends and collectively agree not to use social media until their children are much older.
As kids begin using social media, it's important to remind them that many of the photos of other people's bodies they see are heavily filtered and don't set realistic expectations for what they should look like. It's no surprise, then, that a 2022 survey by Boston Children's Hospital's Digital Wellness Lab cited by Murthy found that nearly half of young people report that social media makes them feel bad about their bodies.
It's also a good idea to help your kids find healthy content and communities online — and avoid the extremely dangerous content and communities that may encourage eating disorders, suicide, and other harmful behaviors. One smart way to do this is to sit down with your kids and search together for content about issues and topics that they care about. Because algorithms are designed to show users content that they think they'll like, social networks will start showing similar content to your kids in the future, even when parents aren't around.
Parents should also warn their kids about why they should never share nude images of themselves. So-called “sexting” can be hacked, and the recipient may later decide to share them online. As I warn in my book, women and girls whose nude images are published online are at greater risk of sexual assault, depression and suicide, and have harder time dating and getting a job.
It's also a good idea to arrange offline get-togethers with friends, which may be a safer experience than online, and it's important to make sure there are plenty of healthy offline activities available. Generally, kids can't use their phones when they're playing sports or an instrument. All of this can help reduce screen time.
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Finally, parents should work with their children to set rules about when cell phones can be used (for example, after homework is finished or not at the dinner table). Children should have reasonable ideas and exceptions to the rules (for example, using the phone for homework). Parents should also set a good example for their own cell phone use, such as putting the phone away to give their children their full attention and not sharing too much information about their lives online.
Mursi was right to ask Congress to require warning labels on social networks. This may be the wake-up call parents need to protect their children from the harmful effects of social media. But parents shouldn't wait. They can protect their children from the harmful effects of social media by withholding smartphones until they're older, limiting the time they spend on social networks, warning them about the dangers they face online, and helping them find healthy communities. They shouldn't wait for one more notice to take action.
