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Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress in June 2024 to require warning labels on social media platforms, arguing that social media is associated with significant mental-health harms for adolescents. That was a policy proposal, not a law. A related bill was introduced later in 2024, but the available official record shows it was referred to committee, not enacted. In May 2026, the Surgeon General’s office issued broader guidance on harmful screen use; that advisory also is not a federal warning-label law.

What warning did Murthy want social media platforms to display?

Murthy’s proposed label would tell users that social media is associated with significant mental-health harms for adolescents. In an interview published by JAMA on August 9, 2024, he said: “It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.”

He argued that a recurring notice could remind parents and adolescents that social media had not been proved safe. His call was for Congress to require the warning; it was not an announcement that platforms already had to display one. Murthy also said a warning alone would not make social media safe—it would be one part of a broader response.

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Are social media warning labels law?

No federal requirement is established by the sources available here. The official GovInfo record for S. 5150, the Stop the Scroll Act, says it was introduced in the 118th Congress on September 24, 2024, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill proposed requiring the Federal Trade Commission, with the HHS Secretary’s concurrence acting through the Surgeon General, to implement a mental-health warning label on social media platforms. That record does not show the bill passed or became law.

Murthy’s June 2024 call drew support from state officials: a September 9, 2024 letter signed by attorneys general of 42 states urged Congress to consider warning-label legislation. The letter called a label one consequential step, while also recognizing that it would not address the whole problem.

What might a platform warning look like?

Murthy’s federal recommendation did not set a specific display schedule, duration, or screen size. A California Assembly committee analysis of AB 56 illustrates how a state proposal could specify those details: a notice at first daily login, again after three hours of cumulative active use, and every hour after that, with requirements for screen area and display duration. Those details describe the proposal analyzed in California, not a nationwide rule.

Warning designs can differ in scope and implementation. A requirement might address social-media harms specifically or harmful screen use more broadly; it might appear at login or after a period of use; and it might be paired with rules on platform design, privacy, transparency, or research. Murthy’s call established the broad policy idea, not a final design.

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Why did Murthy argue for a warning?

His case rested on widespread teen use and concerns about mental health, while acknowledging uncertainty about the evidence. HHS’s 2023 advisory on social media and youth mental health, last reviewed February 19, 2025, reports that up to 95% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 use a social-media platform, citing Pew Research Center data from 2022. It also reports that adolescents spending more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental-health problems, including depression and anxiety symptoms, citing Riehm et al. (2019). That is an association reported by the advisory, not proof that social media use caused the outcomes.

The same HHS advisory reports that 46% of adolescents ages 13–17 said social media made them feel worse about their body image, citing Bickham et al. (2022). HHS also notes gaps in understanding which content is most harmful and what factors protect young people. It says the evidence available at the time did not permit a conclusion that social media was sufficiently safe for children and adolescents. These findings do not mean every adolescent is affected in the same way, and the advisory recognizes that social media can benefit some young people.

What changed with the 2026 screen-use advisory?

On May 20, 2026, the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued a broader advisory, Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use. It recommends that technology companies display a warning about harmful screen use before each use. The accompanying HHS announcement says adolescents average seven to nine hours a day on entertainment screens. That figure concerns entertainment-screen use overall, not social media alone.

The 2026 advisory addresses screen use broadly, including social media, and calls for more than a notice: its agenda also covers safer design, controls, transparency, families, schools, clinicians, and policymakers. It is guidance, not a law enacted by Congress, and it does not establish that Murthy’s 2024 social-media-specific proposal took effect.

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Would a warning label make social media safer?

A label could communicate a risk and draw attention to it; Murthy cited tobacco-warning research when making that case. The Associated Press reported his statement that “Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior” in its June 17, 2024 coverage. That argument is not evidence that a social-media warning has been shown to reduce mental-health harms among adolescents. A notice also cannot, by itself, change platform design, remove harmful content, or resolve the evidence gaps HHS identified.

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HHS’s 2023 advisory sets out complementary actions: families can make a media plan and establish tech-free zones; companies can prioritize health and safety, assess products independently, and share relevant data in privacy-protective ways; and policymakers can pursue age-appropriate standards, stronger privacy protections, research, and media literacy. The 2026 advisory adds a broader screen-use focus. Together, those recommendations frame labels as one possible measure among several, rather than a complete solution.

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