Surgeon General says 13 is “too early” to join social media

Surgeon General says 13 is “too early” to join social media

 

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says he believes that 13 is too young for children to be on social media platforms, because although sites allow children of that age to join, kids are still “developing their identity.”   According to a Pew Research poll, nearly half of US teens say they use the internet “almost constantly,” with over 50% of them saying it would be at least somewhat hard to give up social media. Among the most popular sites are YouTube and TikTok.   This popularity has sparked alarm among medical professionals, who point to a growing body of research about the harm social media platforms can cause adolescents.   Murthy acknowledged the difficulties of keeping children off these platforms but suggested that parents can find success by presenting a united front.   “If parents can band together and say, as a group, ‘We’re not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18’ or whatever age they choose, that’s a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don’t get exposed to harm early,” Murthy told my colleague Pamela Brown this weekend on CNN Newsroom.