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The call for heightened scrutiny of social media's impact on children has intensified, driven by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's renewed plea for warning labels on social media platforms. This comes amidst mounting evidence linking social media to deteriorating youth mental health, echoing his advisory from the previous year.

While states like New York are implementing measures against "addictive" social media algorithms, including a recent ban announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) represents a significant legislative step forward. Expected to go to vote soon, KOSA promises to enhance parental control over their children's online activities, but critics argue that these measures are insufficient in tackling the broader issue of digital harm that extends to all users.

Aaron Mackey of the Electronic Frontier Foundation has noted a critical oversight: focusing solely on children's protection may inadvertently ignore the pervasive impact social media has on adults. The same algorithms that undermine teenagers' self-esteem also affect adults, suggesting a need for more comprehensive reforms beyond age-specific interventions.

“It is odd that we use children as the wedge to address the problem. Any sort of effort that involves just children — say, children’s privacy or harms to children — is under-inclusive, because those harms, they don’t really have an age gap,” Mackey said.

Historically, U.S. policy has approached online safety through the lens of protecting children, dating back to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998. However, this approach often leaves broader data privacy issues unaddressed, as evidenced by the lack of comprehensive data privacy legislation in the United States.

Surgeon General Murthy's warnings align with a broader movement aimed at curbing the adverse effects of social media. Last year's advisory by Murthy, alongside President Joe Biden's executive order on youth mental health, set the stage for legislative efforts like KOSA, which seeks to hold platforms accountable for their impact on children and provide parents with better tools for managing their kids' online presence. Yet, the act stops short of addressing the wider implications for adult users, according to Vox.

Grassroots initiatives, such as those championed by NYU professor Jonathan Haidt in his bestselling book "The Anxious Generation," showed the need for a multifaceted approach to digital safety. Haidt's work, which attributes the youth mental health crisis partly to social media, has energized movements advocating for reduced screen time and healthier online habits.

Despite the legislative momentum, the effectiveness of restricting social media access remains uncertain. Critics argue that warning labels and outright bans could amount to censorship and may not address the root causes of online harm. Additionally, warnings similar to those on retouched media images could paradoxically exacerbate the very issues they aim to mitigate.

Young people's perspectives add another layer to the debate. A 2023 Pew study revealed that a significant majority of teens find social media beneficial for social connection and support. Camille Carlton of the Center for Humane Technology notes that while young people seek the positive aspects of social media, they also desire mechanisms to balance its use without falling into harmful patterns.

Ultimately, as the Kids Online Safety Act inches closer to a potential vote, the conversation around social media regulation must broaden. Addressing the platform's impact on all users, not just children, could pave the way for more effective and inclusive digital policies.