According to ABC, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has proclaimed social media applications an environmental "toxin" and a public health "hazard," citing the mental health of young people as the primary cause. Adams made the pronouncement on Wednesday during his State of the City speech.
The declaration aims to shield pupils from "harm online" in the wake of the Health Commissioner's Advisory from Dr. Ashwin Vasan, which officially designated social media as a risk to public health in New York City. Adams said that Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok are fueling a mental health crisis by embedding addictive and dangerous content on their platforms.
The New York City mayor continued by cautioning about the dangers of social media and stating that his city is the first of its size in the country to take this measure. Like he went on, he said that the city will now handle social media like other public health risks, ensuring that digital companies take responsibility, just way the surgeon general handled tobacco and weapons.
The local government also advised parents and guardians to hold off on giving their children access to social media or cellphones until they are at least 14 years old, according to a different article.
Additionally, they asked legislators at the federal and state levels to build on legislation that would shield young people from the exploitative tactics of social media firms.
Social Media as a Toxin
ABC states that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in May 2023 that teenage mental health might be at "profound risk" from excessive use of social media. The recommendation acknowledged that young people's use of social media had both advantages and disadvantages.
However, the advice concluded that little research and ambiguous data were available to establish whether or not social media usage among teenagers is safe.
Pew Research reportedly found that 59% of teenagers said social media makes them feel more accepted. A Harvard story commented on the released advisory, stating that the vast majority of the population who reside in the Global South were not included in the research.
Furthermore, the paper notes that social media may be particularly beneficial for the establishment and upkeep of social networks that members of marginalized communities, those with chronic health issues, and overseas students feel a sense of belonging.
Meta, YouTube, TikTok's Response
A spokesperson of Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, allegedly told ABC that mental health is a "complex issue" and listed many more variables that may be contributing in answer to an inquiry about the impact of social media platforms on mental health.
The Meta representative went on to say that in order to fully comprehend these problems and how social media may help kids when they need it, in a way that takes into account all the relevant factors, they aim to collaborate with academic experts and schools.
YouTube representatives also stated that the platform has put in place a number of measures to protect young users, such as incorporating digital well being tools, eliminating content that puts minors' emotional safety in jeopardy or encourages self-harm and suicide, and looking into ways to work with researchers even more.
A representative for TikTok informed ABC News that the company's businesses have included age limitations and bedtime reminders as user aids to enhance the mental health of young people. Additionally, the business announced that it developed an API for application programming languages that allows American researchers to access public data on users and content on the site.
