Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond signed a letter to Congress calling on federal lawmakers to require a U.S. surgeon general's warning label on all algorithm-driven social media platforms.
Drummond was one of 42 attorneys general who joined on the letter, arguing Congress could help protect future generations of Americans by mandating a surgeon general’s warning on these platforms. It highlights how research links social media platforms to things like depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in youth. Algorithms and notifications can also disrupt sleep.
The letter comes a few months after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require these warning labels.
“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” Murthy wrote in a June guest essay for The New York Times. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”
States have sought to address social media platforms directly. Drummond, for example, filed a lawsuit against Meta in October 2023 for “knowingly designing and deploying harmful features on Instagram,” which he said can be “addictive to children and teens.” Oklahoma is among other states that are also investigating TikTok.
But, the 42 attorneys general said federal action is needed, and a warning label could help highlight the risks of social media and encourage research into lacking oversight over platforms.
“As State Attorneys General, we sometimes disagree about important issues, but all of us share an abiding concern for the safety of the kids in our jurisdictions — and algorithm-driven social media platforms threaten that safety,” the letter read.
Drummond said in a press release that parents and young people deserve to be fully informed.
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