Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is out with a warning today that social media use is a main contributor to depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers.
Murthy's advisory urges policymakers and social media platforms to share with parents the burden of managing children's and adolescents' social media use.
The surgeon general has long been a proponent of mental health awareness.
The warning about social media comes as the rates of teenage depression, sadness, and hopelessness have skyrocketed over the past decade, especially among girls.
The statement from Murthy also notes that there are benefits from social media to younger kids and much more research needs to be done to understand the impact of social media.