Echoing countless studies on the subject, the U.S. Surgeon General said in a report released today that social media could be playing a significant role in a mental health crisis affecting the youth of America today.

In a 19-page report, Dr. Vivek Murthy said it’s too early to understand fully just how harmful social media is to the young. Still, he added, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

For years now, we’ve been hearing about how social media is causing a mental health crisis. In 2017, a former Facebook Inc. executive shocked the world when he talked about social media as a threat to children, which was surprising, given his job had been to create such platforms. More recently, we’ve heard numerous stories about treating social media with care or about how technology companies focus on growth while overlooking safety.

Coming from the Surgeon General, a similar warning holds considerable weight. He said in the report that research shows 95% of kids aged 13 to 17 use social media, with a third of those people saying they use it “almost constantly.” That seems obvious anywhere you look, but what’s perhaps not so obvious is 40% of kids aged eight to 12 in the U.S. use such platforms, according to research.

“We must acknowledge the growing body of research about potential harms, increase our collective understanding of the risks associated with social media use, and urgently take action to create safe and healthy digital environments that minimize harm and safeguard children’s and adolescents’ mental health and well-being during critical stages of development,” said the paper.

Murthy talked about the benefits of social media for the young but mirrored what many scientists have said in that there need to be protections regarding what information kids can access and how much time they spend in their social media universe. It’s well-known that children now often sleep less because of tech, exercise less and spend less time physically interacting with their peers – essential to mental growth and well-being.

The official said technology companies should be responsible for setting age limits and employing strict verification processes, which many do, though some politicians believe they are not strict enough. He talked about brain development and mental health and how social media may create “heightened emotional sensitivity” and “low self-esteem.” He cited studies that found how less social media in children’s lives led to decreased depression and anxiety and to more general well-being.

This has all been said before, but lately, there have been some significant changes. As well as states enforcing rules regarding age verification and parental controls of their children’s tech time, the American Psychological Association just released its first health advisory and guidance outline for the use of social media for young people.

“At a moment when we are experiencing a national youth mental health crisis, now is the time to act swiftly and decisively to protect children and adolescents from risk of harm,” Murthy concluded. The solution, he said, is a multifaceted approach to the problem, involving companies, researchers, policymakers and parents.

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