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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Business
Ed Pilkington in New York

SHOCKING: Us surgeon general issues advisory on profound risks of child social media use - You Need To See This

phone screen with social media app icons on it
The 25-page advisory was produced as part of the surgeon general’s investigation into a youth mental health crisis. Photograph: Koshiro K/Alamy

Social media use by children and teenagers can pose a “profound risk of harm” to their mental health and wellbeing, the US surgeon general is warning.

In a new advisory released on Tuesday, Dr Vivek Murthy calls on tech companies, policymakers and parents to take “immediate action to protect kids now”. He says that in the absence of robust independent research it is impossible to know whether social media is safe for children and adolescents.

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