Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and 41 other AGs are calling on congressional leaders to pass legislation requiring a U.S. Surgeon General warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms.
The September 9 letter was sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from the National Association of Attorneys General. It comes amid growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in causing generational harm to young people’s mental health.
“Studies show that there is a link between youth’s use of social media and psychological harm,” Moody said. “We are fighting to protect our youth online by calling on Congress to pass legislation requiring a U.S. Surgeon General warning on these platforms.
“This warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people, but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research and investment into the oversight of social media platforms.”
In the letter, the AGs cite growing bodies of research that link young people’s use of algorithm-driven social media platforms to psychological harm, including depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts in kids and teens. The letter also notes how platforms feature irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling and a constant stream of notifications that are designed to keep kids relentlessly engaged on the platforms, even at the expense of taking breaks, engaging in other activities or sleeping.
Some states already have taken historic action to hold platforms accountable for the harm caused to young people.
Moody sued Meta in October 2023. Many states, including Florida, also are either investigating or suing TikTok in state courts.
Despite these efforts to address the harms caused by social media platforms, the AGs say the need for federal action is clear because “social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to fix the problem on their own.”
Moody is joined by the AGs of the following states and territories in signing the letter: Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Moody’s office is touting other ways she has worked to protect kids from social media issues.
In March, Moody demanded Meta cease monetizing child exploitation and prohibit child-modeling accounts on Instagram. In January, Moody called on Congress to push social media outlets to protect kids.
Last October, Moody took legal action against Meta alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other platforms that purposely addict children and teens.
Since then, Meta made minor changes to enhance youth protections, including a new “nightly nudges” setting that prompts users to put Instagram or Facebook away for the night. However, the setting is not compulsory, and Meta has yet to respond to Florida’s allegations.
And last year, Moody and 46 other AGs opened a multistate investigation into whether TikTok’s business practices violated consumer protection laws. The investigation seeks to determine whether the company engaged in conduct that harmed the mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens.
In 2022, Moody and a bipartisan coalition of 43 AGs demanded TikTok and Snapchat give parents the ability to monitor a child’s social media usage to protect children from online threats using parental-control applications and features.