Warning that the absence of regulation has created a dangerous digital environment for the country’s youth, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling on Congress to take action on social media safeguards for children.
His remarks come as lawmakers work to push forward President Donald Trump’s megabill — a sweeping legislative package with implications for immigration, defense, and health care — but with limited attention to online safety or tech regulation.
The Urgent Need for Online Safety Measures
“It’s the equivalent of putting our kids in cars with no seat belts, with no airbags, and having them drive on roads with no speed limits and no traffic lights,” said Murthy, who served under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired on Sunday. “And that is just morally unacceptable. I think Congress has so far failed in its responsibility to protect our kids.”
Efforts to establish rules for platforms popular among young people, like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, have long stalled amid industry lobbying and political gridlock.
A law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese-owned parent company or be banned in the United States took effect in January. However, Trump signed an executive order upon his return to office that delayed the law’s enforcement by 75 days and granted the app a second reprieve last month. The president has praised the app for engaging young people with his presidential campaign.
Murthy raised concerns about the effect of technology on adolescent mental health, citing escalating loneliness, disappearing in-person friendships, and a culture of self-comparison online.
Proposed Safety Standards for Social Media Platforms
For a solution, Murthy called on Congress to implement “real safety standards” for social media platforms, including issuing warning labels for them “so that parents and kids are aware of the risks.” Murthy also stressed the importance of increasing data transparency requirements for platforms, comparing the measure to the historical precedent of auto safety laws.
“Researchers routinely say they can’t get the full data about the impact of these platforms on our kids’ health from the companies,” Murthy said. “But just like we did for cars a few decades ago, we’ll be putting safety standards that got us seat belts, airbags, crash testing and those have reduced the number of deaths.”
Murthy recommended that parents wait until their children are at least in middle school before allowing them to have social media accounts. For children already using the platforms, he advised parents to establish tech-free zones in their households.
“But it’s not too late,” Murthy said, referring to Congress. “They need to step up and act now.”
