As state attorneys general, we have two primary duties: defending our states’ laws and interests, and protecting the rights and wellbeing of the people we were elected to serve. When Americans across the country faced urgent, and powerful threats to their health, safety, and prosperity, attorneys general across the nation have stood together to take them on:
- In the 1990s, state attorneys general stood up to big tobacco after years of false advertising and illegally marketing to children.
- During the housing crisis we took on the big banks that recklessly led the country into a massive economic recession.
- More recently we have worked together to hold big pharma accountable for the opioid crisis that has led to addiction and tragic overdose deaths across the country.
Now, as a mental health crisis exacerbated by social media giants seeking to addict and commodify the attention of children grows worse and worse each year, it’s time to take collective action again.
Our teens’ addictive social feeds heighten risks
Recent research demonstrates the devastating mental health effects caused by social media use, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and self-harm. Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face twice the risk of poor mental health outcomes. Addictive feeds — designed to harness personal data to curate users’ content that will keep them on the platform for as long as possible — have dramatically heightened the risk to young users’ wellbeing and made our children addicted to these social media outlets.
