US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy believes that the risks of internet use in adolescents are being underestimated, telling “CNN Newsroom” that 13-year-olds are too young to use social media.
“If you look at the guidelines from the platforms, age 13 is when kids are technically allowed to use social media,” he said. “I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early.”
He noted that in “early adolescence kids are developing their identity, their sense of self. It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships. And the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children.”
“You have some of the best designers and product developers in the world who have designed these products to make sure people are maximizing the amount of time they spend on these platforms,” he continued. “And if we tell a child, ‘Use the force of your willpower to control how much time you’re spending,’ you’re pitting a child against the world’s greatest product designers. That’s just not a fair fight.”
He also called for increased transparency and new safety standards, though suggested that in the meantime the onus would fall on parents. “If parents can band together and say you know, as a group, we’re not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever age they choose, that’s a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don’t get exposed to harm early,” he said. Check out a clip from the interview below.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says 13 is too early for kids to be using social media — and that there should be safety standards implemented https://t.co/PenKs3sxjD pic.twitter.com/iI16csAXfG
— CNN (@CNN) January 30, 2023