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Surgeon General Warns ‘Profound Risk’ Of Social Media To Youth

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a warning regarding the impact of social media and its “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and…

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during the United States Conference

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy speaks during the United States Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting January 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. Later this week, President Joe Biden will welcome mayors to the White House.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a warning regarding the impact of social media and its "profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents." In the 19-page advisory released on Tuesday (May 23), Murthy urged Americans to pay close attention to this "urgent public health issue."

"Our children have become unknowing participants in a decades-long experiment," the advisory stated. "In early adolescence, when identities and sense of self-worth are forming, brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions and peer comparison." According to the advisory, up to 95% of youth ages 13–17 report use a social media platform. More than a third of that says they use social media "almost constantly." Even 40% of children ages 8–12 also use social media.

In an interview with The New York Times, the Surgeon General said children are impacted by too much exposure to social apps. "They’re in a different phase of development, and they’re in a critical phase of brain development," he told the publication. The report also encouraged parents to monitor their children’s social media use. In addition, implementing a “family media plan” where screen-time expectations could be set.

Social media exposure is linked to conditions including eating disorders, body dysmorphia and low self-esteem, per the report, with some evidence also pointing to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Though Murthy's advisory didn't condemn social media use for young adults and children, it concluded: "We do not yet have enough evidence to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents."

Last week, Montana became the first state to issue a statewide TikTok ban. The legislation passed in both the state House and Senate this spring. It cited both security concerns and argued that the popular social media platform "directs minors to engage in dangerous activities" in order to generate content, such as "throwing objects at moving automobiles, taking excessive amounts of medication," and "licking doorknobs and toilet seats to place oneself at risk of contracting coronavirus."

TikTok has dethroned Google to become the world’s most visited website, new data has revealed.

Per The Independent, the viral video app ended the search engine’s dominance, which had seen it rank as the most popular domain for all of 2020 and the first part of 2021.

Google.com – which includes Docs, Calendar, Maps, Translate, Photos, Flights, News and more – was unable to compete with the budding social app, which now counts more than 1 billion active users around the world. TikTok.com also overtook Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix -- all of which ranked above it last year.

One of the more obvious reasons for users flocking to TikTok this year has been the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced people to spend more time indoors and away from real-life social gatherings. These online browsing patterns continued even when lockdown restrictions came to an end, with “the summer of freedom” creating an opportunity for users to refresh and update their social media accounts.

See some of our favorite TikToks of 2021 below.

Don't Step On The Chalk Art

Here Comes The Boy

Tenet

Turn The World Off

Learn On TikTok

Bartenders Be Like

Byron

Time Warp Scan Queen

Dance Tutorials Made Easy

Iced Coffee-Making Videos

Goat Child

Gordon Ramsay Throws Down In The Kitchen And Dance Floor

Caught A Vibe

Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.