Attorneys general from 42 states, led by New York’s Letitia James, are urging Congress to place warning labels on social media sites because of what they call “serious psychological harms” to teens, including “depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.”
“This problem will not solve itself and the social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to fix the problem on their own,” they stated in a letter sent to Congress on Tuesday and exclusively obtained by Gothamist.
The letter asks Congress to act on a call from the U.S. surgeon general in July to place warning labels on social media sites. It’s the latest effort by New York city and state leaders — and peers around the country — to address what they say are the toxic impacts of social media on young minds. Earlier this year, Mayor Eric Adams declared social media “a public health crisis hazard” earlier this year, and the city filed a lawsuit against several platforms for their reported harmful effects on teens’ mental health.
State lawmakers also passed bills earlier this summer that restrict how the platforms interact with users, including blocking their algorithm-based content feeds and what information they collect from minors. But the city recently delayed another related effort — its rollout of plans to ban cellphones in public school classrooms.
New Jersey legislative committees last year approved a bill that would require age verification and a parent’s or guardian’s consent for a minor to use social platforms, but the bill has never received a floor vote.
In the letter, also signed by New Jersey’s attorney general, the officials say that issuing a warning label “though not sufficient to address the full scope of the problem, would be one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth.”
“A warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research and investment into the oversight of social media platforms,” the letter reads.
Up to 95% of those 13- to 17-year-olds report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they’re on one “almost constantly,” according to an advisory from the U.S. surgeon general published last year. A research trial cited in the advisory found that the mental health of young adults and adults who stayed off social media for four weeks improved by 25%-40%.
The U.S. surgeon general has also pointed to research finding frequent social media use may affect adolescent brain development and sensitivity to social rewards and punishment.
TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Google and Meta — parent company to Facebook and Instagram — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Gothamist on Tuesday, after the letter’s release.
This story has been corrected to say New Jersey’s attorney general participated in the letter to Congress.