Bipartisan coalition of attorneys general call for Congress to require surgeon general warning on social media platforms

Sept. 10, 2024 (DENVER) – In a letter to Congress, Attorney General Phil Weiser and 41 other attorneys general today called on lawmakers to pass legislation requiring a U.S. surgeon general warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms. The letter comes amidst growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in generational harm to young people’s mental health.

The attorneys general cited growing bodies of research that link these platforms to psychological harm, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts in kids and teens. They also note how platforms feature irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling, and a constant stream of notifications that are designed to keep kids continually engaged on the platforms, even at the expense of taking breaks, engaging in other activities, or even sleeping.

“Keeping our kids safe from the destructive and manipulative practices of social media companies is a bipartisan issue that we can all agree on,” said Weiser, who co-led the coalition effort. “While a surgeon general warning is not sufficient to address the full scope of the crisis, it would be one consequential step toward reducing the risk of harm to youth.”

States have already taken historic action to hold platforms accountable for the harm they have caused young people. Last year, Colorado, along with 44 states and the District of Columbia brought lawsuits against Meta, and many states are either investigating or actively suing TikTok in state court. Despite these efforts to address the harms caused my social media platforms, the attorneys general say the need for federal action is clear.

While noting the U.S. Senate passage of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act demonstrated significant bipartisan commitment to tackling these critical issues, the attorneys general say more action is necessary because “social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to fix the problem on their own.

The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee co-led the letter to Congress.

Also joining the letter are the attorneys general from Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Today’s letter to Congress is the latest action by Weiser to address youth mental health. In June, he announced that the attorney general’s office will provide up to $20 million in grants for school-community partnerships to promote holistic youth mental health services and support. The office also partnered with the Colorado Department of Education to distribute $17.4 million to 42 schools, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations to combat the youth vaping crisis.

The funds for Weiser’s youth mental health initiative come from a $31.7 million settlement reached with Juul, Inc. in 2023, to resolve a lawsuit against the company for targeting young people in its marketing and misrepresenting the health risks of its products.

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