Republican Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn gave rare praise to a Biden official on Monday after the U.S. surgeon general called on Congress to require social media platforms to display health warnings.
In a Monday opinion piece published in The New York Times, titled “Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms,” surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2020, explains how social media has become an increasing contributing factor in affecting mental health in young people.
“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. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior,” Murthy wrote.
According to Yale Medicine, the impact of social media on mental health is a significant concern as excessive use can lead to issues like disrupted sleep, attention problems, and exposure to harmful content. Some studies link heavy social media use to increased anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
In response to Murthy’s call, Blackburn took to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday to praise the surgeon general and point towards the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which she co-sponsors, that aims to create liability or a “duty of care” for social media platforms for specific content that may not be suitable for minors.
Newsweek has reached out to Blackburn’s office and Murthy via email for comment.
“Thank you, @Surgeon_General. We must continue to bring attention to the harmful impact that social media has on our children. It is time to hold a vote and pass the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act,” Blackburn wrote on X.
Blackburn has been a vocal supporter of the legislation as she and Democratic cosponsor Senator Richard Blumenthal announced in February the growing support for the act and continued to call for action.
“This overwhelming bipartisan support for the Kids Online Safety Act—64 co-sponsors, Democrats and Republicans—reflects the powerful voices of young people and parents who want Congress to act. The recent watershed hearing with Big Tech CEOs showcased the urgent need for reform. With new changes to strengthen the bill and growing support, we should seize this moment to take action. We must listen to the kids, parents, experts, and advocates, and finally hold Big Tech accountable by passing the Kids Online Safety Act into law,” Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal said in a statement.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Blackburn and Blumenthal continued to state they are pleased with Murthy for bringing attention to the issue, adding a call to action to hold a vote to pass the KOSA legislation.
“We are pleased that the Surgeon General — America’s top doctor — continues to bring attention to the harmful impact that social media has on our children. The time to hold a vote and pass the filibuster proof bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act is now,” Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal said.
Meanwhile, although the use of just a warning label wouldn’t make social media safe for young people, Murthy said it is one of the steps needed as he noted the bipartisan legislation.
“To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people. Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. Such measures, which already have strong bipartisan support, remain the priority,” Murthy wrote.
Murthy’s call for action comes after he previously warned in an advisory issued a year ago about the connection between social media and young people’s mental health. Murthy said at the time he recommended policymakers needed to address the harms of social media in the same way they regulate things like baby formula, medication and other products children use.
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