New York City Designates Social Media as a Public Health Hazard

The moon as seen from the Hell’s Kitchen district in New York City

New York City declared social media to be a public health hazard given its effect on the mental health of the city’s youth. With this move, which took place on Wednesday, the Big Apple becomes the first major city in the United States to take such a step.

In his State of the City address, Mayor Eric Adams put social media in the same category as the Congress and the U.S. surgeon general had put tobacco and cigarettes in 1965 and 1970, respectively.

“Companies like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook are fueling a mental health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features,” Adams said.

In response, he said, the city’s health commissioner, Ashwin Vasan, “is issuing a health commissioner advisory officially designating social media as a public health crisis hazard in New York City.”

“Just as the surgeon general did with tobacco and guns, we are treating social media like other public health hazards and it must stop,” Adams said.

In 1965, Congress required cigarette companies to place a health warning on packages distributed in the United States, and, since 1970, this warning has been made in the name of the Surgeon General. In 1969, cigarette advertising on television and radio was banned, effective September 1970.

Last year, the city held a summit to discuss social media and its impact on youth.

Some 95% of teenagers regularly access social media tools, multiple studies suggest.

In an advisory issued the same day, Vasan outlined the deteriorating state of mental health in the city’s youth and offered guidance to young people on encouraging healthy social media use. The recommendations include implementing tech-free times and places; monitoring emotions during use; and sharing concerns related to social media and mental health with adults.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)