The Surgeon General thinks that social media may be harmful to teen health

The age of frequent social media use reveals criticality in brain development, according to a new study by Murthy and the New York Times

The report says “a highly sensitive period of brain development” happens between the ages of 10 and 19, coinciding with a period when up to 95 percent of 13 to 17 year olds and nearly 40 percent of 8 to 12 year olds are using social media. The Advisory states that frequent use of such platforms can have an impact on the development of the brain. Murthy has previously said he believes even 13 years old is “too early” for children to be using social media.

The report says that the advisories from the Surgeon General were an attempt to call attention to an urgent public health issue and recommend how it could be tackled. Murthy’s recommendations can shift public debate and provide evidence to help regulators address an issue, but they aren’t binding.

“Adolescents are not just smaller adults,” Dr. Murthy said in an interview with The New York Times about the advisory. They’re in a different phase of development and in a critical phase of brain development.

The report notes that frequent social media use may be associated with changes in the brain in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, which could affect impulse control and social behavior.

More than one-third of teens said they used social media almost constantly, while up to 95 percent reported using at least one social media platform. In addition, nearly 40 percent of children ages 8 to 12 use social media, even though the required minimum age for most sites is 13.

Social Media as a Tool to Support Mental Health in Minorized Populations: A Report on Dr. Murthy and Other Maritalized People

To take a new technology that is rapidly evolving and change how kids perceive themselves is a lot of work, according to Dr. Murthy. “So we’ve got to do what we do in other areas where we have product safety issues, which is to set in place safety standards that parents can rely on, that are actually enforced.”

The advisory outlines potential benefits of social media for marginalized groups. The report says that research has shown that social media can help the mental health of gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, trans, queer, and intersex youths.