Katie Britt agrees with Surgeon General on need to protect kids from social media

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt is showing support for U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s idea of adding warning labels for parents on social media.

“The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” Murthy said in a guest essay published by The New York Times.

“While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words,” he added. “We need proof.”

Britt (R-Montgomery) said on X that she agreed with Murthy when it comes to the dangers of social media to children. “[The Surgeon General] is correct—America’s youth mental health crisis is an emergency, requiring urgent bipartisan action, Britt said. “That’s why I’ve joined [Sen. Brian Schatz], [Sen. Ted Cruz], and [Sen. Chris Murphy] in introducing the Kids Off Social Media Act.”

.@Surgeon_General is correct—America’s youth mental health crisis is an emergency, requiring urgent bipartisan action. That’s why I’ve joined @SenBrianSchatz, @SenTedCruz, and @ChrisMurphyCT in introducing the Kids Off Social Media Act.https://t.co/zHsDBTMuHY

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) June 17, 2024

Britt helped introduce the Kids off Social Media Act last month, which bans social media age for children under 13 and blocks use of addictive algorithms for teens.

RELATED: Britt helps introduce legislation to shield children from harmful effects of social media

“There is no doubt that our country is facing a growing youth mental health crisis that is inextricably tied to the rise of social media usage by children and teenagers,” Britt said when the bill was introduced. “Families are being devastated and futures are being destroyed in every corner of our nation. I’ll continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact the commonsense, age-appropriate solutions needed to tackle this generational challenge.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee