MINNEAPOLIS — On Monday, the country's top doctor sounded the alarm about social media.
Writing an op-ed in the New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said Congress should put warning labels on social media apps similar to what you see on cigarettes and alcohol.
"Many parents don't know that those risks exist and we have data from tobacco warning labels that, in fact, tells us that they can be helpful in changing awareness and changing behavior," said Dr. Murthy.
Experts say that some teenagers spend nearly five hours every day on social media, but some of them aren't waiting for the government to make being online more safe.
Leading suicide prevention advisor and psychologist in Minnesota, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, expects to launch a first-of-its-kind online safety standard he developed this summer.
"We needed some way for parents to be able to go to a platform and say, is this a safe place for my kid to be," said Dr. Reidenberg.
Consider it like a rating system similar to how the motion picture association classifies films. The new guidance for kids and parents will be across social media, search engines and even gaming platforms.
"My hope is that these really influence how these companies and these platforms are designed, developed, maintained and managed," said Dr. Reidenberg. "We’re going to see a short term change, we’re going to see long term change and we’re going to see kids change."
Dr. Reidenberg helped get a group of experts together in mental health and online safety, including The Mental Health Coalition. This multi-year initiative is ambitious and targets kids ages 13-24.
"I really want this to be inspirational for the companies," said Dr. Reidenberg. "I want them to see this as an opportunity for them to do better."
"Any time it's regulatory or it's from an official body, you see push back," said Dr. Reidenberg. "We're taking a more neutral approach, looking at the best science, all the information that exists around the world and say, what is the best way to affect change?"
Two specific examples include improving so-called "doom scrolling" by recommending that companies impose a mandatory break by literally turning its app off if a user reaches a certain limit, along with updating its reporting features and requiring the app respond to someone's concerns within 24 hours.
"We are helping shape that for the future for them and giving them the best advice," said Dr. Reidenberg. "That’s really important to me."
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.