Why Warning Labels on Social Media Miss the Mark

The current mental health crisis among young people is real. Few would dispute that kids are suffering now. In a recent New York Times editorial, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to cigarette packaging. As a concerned parent, I get it. As a solution, I don't. I am disappointed that he links social media to cigarettes by calling for warning labels. A better analogy would be swimming pools, which can be fatal to children who can’t swim but have many benefits when kids exercise swim safety.

The proposed warning label emphasizes public concern over empirical evidence, encouraging the troubling trend of ignoring research findings in favor of emotion but most of all, it neglects the preventative power of digital literacy.

There is no such thing as the “healthy use of cigarettes.” Social media, however, includes hundreds of platforms with numerous features and widely varying uses (passive, like scrolling and researching; active, like commenting, creating, and sharing content). Like swimming pools, social media poses a risk when kids don’t know how to use it safely and in healthy ways.

Fear Gets Attention

Warning labels on social media are unlikely to change teen behavior. The proposal, however, has ignited a lot of emotion. It may do more harm than good if it results in restrictive regulations that ignore the need to teach kids the skills they need. Kids care more about being social than assessing future risks due to their developmental stage and brain maturity. Social media is a big part of how they connect with others and participate in popular culture; they will find a way to go online. Our goal should be to provide kids with clear guidance and the necessary skills and understanding to use technology (including social media) well rather than keep them from using it at all.

It's easy to forget that not all social media use is bad or a problem. Kids use various platforms, games, and apps to communicate, do schoolwork, conduct research, be entertained, get news, and stay connected to friends (Chassiakos and Stager, 2020). Labeling all digital tech use as 'dangerous' destroys credibility with teens because most report their social media experience as positive, even as they recognize the problems (O’Reilly and colleagues, 2022). Do kids worry about using it too much? Yes. Do they need tools and guidance? Absolutely. However, the emerging legislation proposes restrictions that may drive teen behavior underground. Negative messages from parents and media about social media are more likely to increase shame and decrease parent-child trust than encourage healthy technology behaviors.

Protect Kids’ Mental Health

Warning labels are not the issue here. Social media platforms already have disclosure documents that no one reads. If the goal is to rally support for protecting kids’ mental health, then I’m all for that, provided we take realistic, evidence-backed steps that will help. Let’s start by being more specific about where we see the trouble: Mobile device use or social media access? They may both cause problems, but they aren’t the same.

We can’t afford to ignore research or build interventions around causal conclusions from correlations and associations. These are complicated issues, not simple ones, and our kids’ health is at stake. Yes, these kids have grown up with social media. But they’re also managing the tumultuous hormonal transition from childhood to adulthood with school shooter drills, social isolation from the pandemic, global warfare, unprecedented partisan meanness, and, when not stressing about schoolwork or who likes whom, they worry about climate change. Social media plays a role, of course, but it amplifies. Social media didn't invent bullying, negative social comparison, FOMO, misinformation, or the desire to belong. And let’s not forget that kids also have widely different vulnerabilities, skills, social environments, biological predispositions, family structures, economic resources, and emotional support. These are among the documented, critical factors that affect how kids respond psychologically to stressors, including those in social media. We want interventions that can take these things into account so they will do kids some good.

Social Media Is Here to Stay

Warning labels won’t make social media (or using mobile devices) safer. People are afraid and angry, making them vulnerable to promises of easy fixes. Solutions that restrict access and enable lawsuits won’t help.

Social media and mobile technologies are here to stay. Expecting social media companies to screen users without violating privacy and remove all inappropriate content and misinformation from billions of posts daily is unrealistic. And even if that were possible, there are risks of being online outside social media. All web activity can be subject to personal information collection, and kids can be targets of cyberbullying or hurtful video circulation.

We Need to Prepare Kids

We need to help kids who suffer from mental health issues by providing mental health treatment. It may surprise you to know that right now, social media is the only source of mental health information for some kids. More importantly, if we want to protect kids from the negative impact of digital devices without depriving them of benefits, we must teach them essential skills. There will be times when restrictions are off, and parents aren’t around. I have seen the changes in kids' attitudes and behavior from classroom digital literacy training. Don’t underestimate their competence and resolve when kids have been taught digital literacy skills, including:

• The self-awareness to build self-control and accountability and to make healthy choices.
• The ability to identify their personal values, like honesty, empathy, kindness, and respect for others, and apply them to their on and offline actions.
• Conflict resolution and coping skills.
• The ability to think critically about information and evaluate source and content quality.
• An understanding of how persuasive technology can hijack their attention.
• The skills to recognize how content styles, messaging, algorithms, and notifications manipulate their emotions and behavior.
• The confidence and courage to set personal boundaries and protect their privacy.

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Kids Need Guidance and Practice

We should emphasize the importance of media literacy as “preventative medicine” as Murthy had in his 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health[i] and or cite the need for digital literacy training highlighted in the APA Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence[ii]. Warning labels and shutting down access are make-shift solutions that will not prepare kids to build a healthy and safe relationship with technology.

Kids do need guidance and structure for healthy technology use. You wouldn’t give your kids the keys to the car without driver’s training nor throw them in the deep end of a pool without teaching them to swim. The goal of parenting should be to prepare kids for the world they will live in. Campaigns like phone-free zones at school are great ideas to limit distractions in the classroom, but let's not forget that does not give kids the skills to manage the surge of digital drama as soon as the bell rings. Encouraging kids to spend more time outside and in offline activities is great, but safe environments and enrichment activities are not universally available. Household technology rules are essential, but healthy technology behaviors are for everyone, not just kids, and all family members should be accountable.