A Surgeon General’s Advisory is a public statement that calls the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. This Advisory calls attention to the growing concerns about the effects of social media on youth mental health. It explores and describes the current evidence on the positive and negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents, some of the primary areas for mental health and well-being concerns, and opportunities for additional research to help understand the full scope and scale of social media’s impact.
For Parents and Caregivers, page 17 outlines specific actions and steps that you can take to help mitigate the potential harms of social media and support young people against the risk of harm.
For Policymakers, page 15 outlines the important role you play in addressing the complex and multifaceted issues related to social media use and protecting young people from harm.
