State attorneys general push for surgeon general warnings on social media
Attorneys general call for required warning on social media platforms
Should Facebook, X, and Instagram be treated just like Marlboro, Newport, and Camel? A bipartisan group of 42 state attorneys general – including those from Maryland, D.C., and Virginia – sent a letter to congressional leadership this week, urging them to pass legislation "mandating a surgeon general’s warning on algorithm-driven social media platforms." FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the story.
WASHINGTON - Should Facebook, X, and Instagram be treated just like Marlboro, Newport, and Camel?
A bipartisan group of 42 state attorneys general – including those from Maryland, D.C., and Virginia – sent a letter to congressional leadership this week, urging them to pass legislation "mandating a surgeon general’s warning on algorithm-driven social media platforms."
The letter cites "a growing body of research [linking] young people’s use of … social media platforms to a variety of serious psychological harms, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation" as one of the main reasons why.
It comes on the heels of a June New York Times op-ed in which U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for the same thing.
People who spoke to FOX 5 DC Tuesday evening in Arlington gave the idea mixed reviews.
"I just don’t think it’s going to be doing anything," Lilly Acevedo said. "Same thing happened with cigarettes. You put a warning label on it, they’re still going to smoke cigarettes."
"If there’s enough evidence showing that they’re potentially harmful to younger people as they’re exposed to them, then I think it might be worth it to put a warning label on them," countered Conor Russo.
This is not the only step state attorneys general have taken against social media companies. Lawsuits have been filed in recent years. There’s been congressional action too.