• Posted May 27, 2025

Former Surgeon General Warns Social Media Is Harming Children’s Health

TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is urging lawmakers to take stronger steps to protect children from the potential dangers of social media.

In a recent interview on NBC News’ "Meet the Press," Murthy said Congress has failed to act on what he described as a growing crisis. 

“Congress has not stepped up to its responsibility to protect our kids,” he said. “They need to act now.”

Murthy served under both the Obama and Biden administrations. He’s asking Congress to pass laws that would require warning labels on social media apps about their impact on kids. 

He also said he wants more transparency from tech companies so researchers can better study how the internet affects children.

He compared the situation to the early days of driving before cars had safety features. 

“Those have reduced the number of deaths,” Murthy told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker. “We’ve got to do the same for social media, because what we’re doing now, Kristen, is we’re basically — it’s the equivalent of putting our kids in cars with no seat belts, with no air bags, and having them drive on roads with no speed limits and no traffic lights. And that is just morally unacceptable.”

Two bills aimed at regulating social media use by kids have been introduced in Congress: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). 

Both received bipartisan support in the Senate but have not passed the House, NBC News said.

KOSA would require social media companies to prevent harmful content from reaching kids. COPPA 2.0 would raise the age at which companies can collect kids’ data from the current 12 to 17 and limit targeted advertising.

Critics say the bills could lead companies to censor too much content to avoid legal trouble. Some advertising and civil liberties groups have raised concerns, slowing progress.

Murthy also spoke about the rising rates of loneliness and mental health issues among children.

“A lot of them are trying to be somebody that they’re not online. And they actually don’t have as many friendships in person as we all need. So you put this all together and what you see is escalating loneliness and isolation,” Murthy added.

What's more, Murthy warned that “more kids are struggling with this intense culture of self-comparison online, which is shredding their self-esteem,” according to NBC News.

He warned that children are especially vulnerable because their brains are still developing.

“They are more susceptible to social comparison, to social suggestion, their impulse control is not as well developed. And that puts them more at risk of the negative effects of social media,” Murthy said.

Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, now a mental health advocate, agreed with Murthy. 

“Our country is falling down on its own responsibility as stewards to our children’s future,” Kennedy told Welker.

He proposed a “prevention fund” to focus on early mental health care. “We should be investing now in identifying and helping kids who are most at risk,” he said.

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has more on social media and mental health in children and teens.

SOURCE: NBC News, May 25, 2025