Kentucky attorney general calls for warning on social media sites for mental health
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is leading a bipartisan charge with a coalition of 42 other attorneys general, calling for federal legislation that would require a surgeon’s general warning on social media sites.
In a seven-page letter to Congressional leaders, the attorneys general raise alarm amid growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in the generational harm to young people’s mental health, according to a press release.
The attorneys allege the algorithmic-driven practices used by social media platforms are a threat to children’s safety.
“Social media platforms are designed to addict users — especially our kids — to spend countless hours digging for their algorithmic fix,” Coleman said in a press release. “Even as our Office continues to hold these companies accountable for the harm they inflict on our youth, it’s time for our federal partners to step in and protect Kentucky’s sons and daughters.”
The letter states a growing body of research links young people’s use of those social media platforms to a variety of psychological harms, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
Algorithm-driven social media use also interferes with adolescents’ daily life by chronically disrupting their sleep with irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling and a constant stream of notifications designed to keep children relentlessly engaged on the platform, the letter reads.
Coleman’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after his office secured $3.6 million in funding to launch a social media campaign aimed at drug use prevention among Generation Z.
“This problem will not solve itself and the social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to fix the problem on their own,” the letter reads. “Therefore, we urge Congress to act by requiring warnings on algorithm-driven social media platforms, as recommended by the Surgeon General.”
The same day Coleman announced the step toward seeking the federal warning, a federal judge in Utah temporarily blocked social media access laws thought to protect mental health of youth citing them as unconstitutional.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby on Tuesday issued the preliminary injunction against laws that would have required social media companies to verify the ages of their users, disable certain features and limit the use of accounts owned by Utah children, according to the Associated Press.
