JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Warning labels on social media could be coming soon.
More than 40 attorneys general across the country have signed to have a Surgeon General warning label.
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Hallie Kritsas, a local therapist in Jacksonville who specializes in anxiety, self-esteem, relationships, trauma, and PTSD, spoke to News4JAX about the impacts social media is having on young minds that fall into doom scrolling more often than they should.
“...teens (spend) anywhere upwards of like three to five hours a day (on social media), and that’s on top of being in school and being on their computer,” Kritsas said.
Kritsas speaks with teens and kids who deal with a variety of the aforementioned conditions.
“There is such a direct correlation with the amount of time kids and teens being on their phones and utilizing social media and then having an increased risk of being depressed or having anxiety or anything like that,” Kritsas said.
It’s reasons such as these why Kritsas is in favor of slapping on a warning label on any algorithm-based social media platform.
Attorney General Ashley Moody signed her approval as well in early September, joining more than 40 other AGs across the country to have a Surgeon General warning label on social media.
“I kind of in my head, it resonated as when you’re watching a TV show and there’s something graphic or sexually explicit, or if it’s leaning into something like suicide, it comes up, and it might not prohibit you from watching the show, but at least that’s something in your mind. it sets some sort of precedent, or some sort of like trigger in your mind that it might not be appropriate or you might need to take breaks while using it, or you might need to talk to somebody after while using it.”
Scrolling on social media certainly would not be something teens would give up willingly. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of teens say it would be hard for them to give up; 36 percent said they spend too much time on social media. 55 percent said they spend the right amount of time and 8 percent said they don’t spend too much time on it.
“I think at the very least there being that warning label that parents can go over with their kids would be great,” Kritsas said.
In a letter written by the National Association of Attorneys General to Congress, the AGs emphasize that several states have already confronted social media platforms like Meta. They argue that the federal government needs to take action to regulate these platforms and require warnings on algorithm-driven social media platforms recommended by the Surgeon General.