WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTVO) — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is among 42 attorney generals backing the Surgeon General’s call for Congress to require a warning on social media platforms.
“Young people are facing a mental health crisis, which is fueled in large part by social media,” the undersigned attorney generals wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“As State Attorneys General, we sometimes disagree about important issues, but all of us share an abiding concern for the safety of the kids in our jurisdictions—and algorithm-driven social media platforms threaten that safety. A growing body of research links young people’s use of those social media platforms to a variety of serious psychological harms, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Algorithm-driven social media use also interferes with adolescents’ daily life by chronically disrupting their sleep with irresistible algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling, and a constant stream of notifications designed to keep kids relentlessly engaged on the platform,” the letter continued.