New York City officially declares social media a “public health hazard” on par with tobacco and GUNS

The mayor of New York City has officially declared social media an “environmental toxin” and a “public health hazard” in the same category as tobacco and guns.

In an advisory published Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams criticized TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, blaming them for the mental health crisis plaguing tens of millions of children in the U.S. — with teen depression rates reaching their highest level in a decade, according to the latest surveys.

In the statement, city officials called on parents to impose “technology-free times” for children and urged teens to turn off their notifications and monitor their emotions while online.

Evidence has been mounting for years that social media is damaging the mental health of children and teenagers, with highly sophisticated algorithms exposing them to messages that portray unrealistic beauty and body standards and promoting self-harming content to users.

Earlier this year, Montana became the first US state to ban TikTok over these concerns and fears about its ties to China, while lawmakers are now pushing for the same order nationwide. Meta, which owns Facebook, is currently being sued by 33 states for “contributing to the youth mental health crisis.”

The above page from the advice highlights the advice to parents, including that there is no safe age at which children can start using social media

Mayor Adams said online: “Social media companies are fueling a mental health crisis, especially for our young people. But we won’t let Big Tech endanger our children.

“New York City’s health commissioner today issues an advisory officially labeling social media an environmental toxin.”

He added: “Just as the former US Surgeon General did with tobacco and guns, we are treating social media like other public health hazards and ensuring that tech companies take responsibility.”

He referenced advice from New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, which gave parents nine points on how to protect their children from social media.

This included advising parents not to give their children a smartphone with access to social media for as long as possible – and to talk to children about the dangers of spending too much time online.

Many top experts have been warning about the risks of social media for years.

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murphy said in May last year: ‘At this time we do not have enough evidence to determine whether social media is sufficiently safe for children.

‘(But) the current body of evidence indicates that while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, there is ample evidence that social media may also pose a significant risk of harm to the mental health… of children and adolescents . ‘

Surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that six in 10 teen girls felt “persistently sad or hopeless” in 2021, the most recent data available, which is the highest in a decade.

One in three female high school students also admitted to seriously considering suicide in the past year.

Among boys, 29 percent reported persistent feelings of sadness and 14 percent said they had seriously considered suicide.

At the same time, surveys show that more than 95 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 now use social media, while a third say they are online “almost all the time.”

And while 13 is the minimum age for many social media platforms in America, many young people are also finding their way onto the apps, with nearly 40 percent of children between the ages of eight and 12 using social media.

In New York City, 38 percent of high school students said they felt so sad or hopeless in the past year that they stopped doing their usual activities. Data also shows that 77 percent of young people in the city spend three or more hours in front of a screen every day, not including time spent on schoolwork.

Many experts blame social media for the surge in mental health problems, pointing to studies linking overconsumption of the apps to depression and anxiety, poor sleep, low self-esteem – and could even affect the way the brains of young people develop.

A study of 6,595 children aged 12 to 15 found that adolescents who spent more than three hours a day on social media had double the risk of poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety .

The proportion of young women experiencing persistent depression is at its highest level in about a decade

While roughly a third of girls considered suicide, about 13 percent actually attempted it, compared to seven percent of men

A study of 6,595 children aged 12 to 15 found that adolescents who spent more than three hours a day on social media had double the risk of poor mental health outcomes, such as depression or anxiety.

And a separate review of more than 20 studies also found that some social media platforms show “live images of self-harm, such as partial choking, leading to seizures, and cutting, leading to significant bleeding.”

In addition to social media, experts say there are other factors that damage young people’s mental health, including ‘isolation’ caused by the Covid pandemic and a reported increase in sexual violence.

In response to New York City’s warning, a spokesperson for Meta – which owns Facebook – suggested that other factors, including limited access to healthcare, academic pressures and the Covid pandemic, were contributing to the mental health crisis among young people.

A YouTube spokesperson pointed to “digital wellness” features they had installed in their app, such as removing disturbing content, and a TikTok spokesperson pointed to the fact that they had added bedtime reminders and age restrictions.