Wisconsin expert, locals react to Surgeon General's call for warning label on social media

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The U.S. Surgeon General is calling on Congress to require social media platforms to have a health warning label for younger users.

In an age where we are virtually glued to our phones, experts say there may be a negative trend that's impacting kids and teens.

In a New York Times op-ed piece Monday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said social media is a contributing factor to the mental health crisis among young users.

"It does affect their mental health, so I do think that there should be warnings just like there is for cigarettes or alcohol," Bianca Shaw told CBS 58 News.

Shaw said that her 12-year-old daughter links her social media accounts to her mother and cannot spend more than two hours on a daily basis scrolling or posting.

"I think maybe like a parental advisory might be better than a disclaimer, because, I mean honestly, who reads all the disclaimers nowadays?" said Jessica Darnell, a 1st grade teacher in Illinois.

Dietram Scheufele is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an expert on misinformation and social media. He told CBS 58 News that in the same way car seats, baby formula and medication for kids are regulated, this request was ultimately, inevitable.

"We actually know very little about the real effects, and all we can say is what the surgeon general says, and that is, well, there seems to be a correlation and it's not a good one," explained Scheufele." There have been tons of discussions for a long time about what harmful effects there might be, and it's something that's really difficult to study."

In his op-ed, Murthy also stated that Congress needs to implement legislation that protects minors from online harassment and exposure to violence and sexual content.

"Every single click, every single second you spend on a particular page is recorded, and it's recorded not to make your life better as a teenager, it's recorded in order to target content more effectively toward you and find your vulnerabilities," added Scheufele.

Darnell told CBS 58 News she sees firsthand in the classroom how kids are growing more and more dependent on technology.

"I had a student in my class who was obsessed with the iPad, and he would throw temper tantrums, like screaming, crying, hitting the floor," she said.

In addition, Scheufele said though it's likely Congress won't entertain the idea until after the presidential election on Nov. 5, if a law does pass, it may just be a symbolic step forward.

 "The platforms are doing what makes commercial sense for them, but there's a disconnect between where we want to be as a democracy and having a healthy generation growing up," he concluded.