Illinois State Attorney Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys, called on federal lawmakers to pass a law requiring a warning from the U.S. Surgeon General on all algorithm-driven social media platforms. Raoul and the coalition issued a letter to Congress amid growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in generational harm to young people’s mental health.
“Our children need to be aware that social media platforms use features designed to make these platforms more addictive for young people. “These algorithm-driven platforms can interfere with sleep and education, facilitate cyberbullying, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and thoughts of self-harm,” Raoul stated in a statement. “I am committed to holding the actors involved accountable for putting profits before the mental health and well-being of our children.”
In the letter, Raoul and the coalition highlight the growing body of research linking youth social media use to psychological harms, including depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts in children and adolescents. The attorneys general also point out how the platforms use irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling, and a constant stream of notifications, designed to keep children relentlessly engaged on the platforms, even at the cost of taking breaks, engaging in other activities, or sleeping.
Raoul and the attorneys general signatories of the letter to Congress emphasize that the need for federal action is clear in this area. The coalition noted in the letter that more action is required because “social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to solve the problem themselves.”
Joining Raoul in presenting the letter are attorneys from Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada , New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
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