Social Media

With kids around the country having access to social media at an early age, there is a constant debate of what an appropriate age should be for a kid to finally join a social media platform. Many may say that high school age is appropriate, while others say that their children can get on a platform earlier. However, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a recent appearance that even 13 years old is too young for a kid to be on social media.

In a recent inteview on CNN, Murthy said that despite social platforms allowing kids at least 13 years old to join the platform, 13 is still too young as kids at that age are still developing their minds and their self worth.

“I worry that right now, if you look at the guidelines from the platforms, age 13 is when kids are technically allowed to use social media,” Murthy said on Saturday. “But there are two concerns that I have about that. One is, I personally—based on the data that I’ve seen—believe that 13 is too early. I think that it’s a time, early adolescence, where kids are developing their identity, their sense of self. It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships.”

Murthy went on to call for social media companies to be transparent about the effects their products have on kids’ minds and for safety standards to be implemented to safeguard children.

You can watch Murthy’s response below.

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