Surgeon General Diagnoses Social Media as a Public Health Crisis

Social media was supposed to bring us together. Global communities. Shared creativity. A space to belong.

And it did, until it didn’t.

At a recent Dartmouth and United Nations symposium, six former U.S. Surgeons General, Vivek Murthy, Jerome Adams, Antonia Coello Novello, Joycelyn Elders, Richard Carmona, and David Satcher, delivered a unanimous message: Social media isn’t just shaping the minds of young people. It’s shaping their health.

A Generation in Distress

“When one in three U.S. children experience mental health challenges within a month, that’s a crisis,” said former Surgeon General Antonia Coello Novello.

Even more alarming:

• 1 in 5 have thought about suicide

• 16% have made a plan

• 9% have attempted it

Novello called social media one of the biggest culprits, fueling cyberbullying, body image struggles, and chronic loneliness.

What was once a place for connection has become a space of comparison, pressure, and invisible pain.

The Hidden Cost of the Digital Age

Dr. Vivek Murthy, who’s been outspoken about the loneliness epidemic, warned that there’s still no data proving social media is safe for youth.

Yet 95% of minors use it. And adolescents who spend more than 3.5 hours a day online face double the risk of anxiety and depression.

The average teen? Closer to 5 hours a day.

The constant scroll isn’t just draining attention; it’s draining emotional stability.

“We didn’t fully appreciate what the digital age would do to us,” said Richard Carmona. “Now we’re trying to fix what we failed to see.”

Disconnected by Design

Social media rewards reaction, not reflection. Every notification pulls us deeper into performance.

For young people, that feedback loop hits harder. Impulse control isn’t fully developed, and social comparison becomes addictive.

Platforms thrive on attention, not well-being. And when attention becomes the product, humanity becomes the price.

Even Dartmouth economist David Blanchflower warned that less in-person connection is weakening the brain pathways that build empathy and social understanding.

We’re not just losing time to screens, we’re losing our social wiring.

The Human Cost of Always Being Online

Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders offered simple, actionable advice: “Parents can make tech-free zones. Set a time when phones go off every night.”

It sounds basic, but it’s radical in practice. Because breaking the addiction means confronting silence—and in that silence, rebuilding connection.

David Satcher reminded parents that stigma keeps many families from seeking help. Fear of judgment stops care before it starts.

And Jerome Adams added that the U.S. spends far more on treatment than prevention.“If we focused on wellness first,” he said, “fewer kids would reach a breaking point.”

The Human Lesson - Social Media as a Public Health Crisis

A group of teenagers scrolls on glowing phones while standing in a dark auditorium, their faces lit in blue light. Above them, digital icons swirl like constellations, each one flickering with likes and comments that slowly fade into static.

Social media may connect billions, but it’s leaving individuals emotionally bankrupt.

Technology can teach us, entertain us, and even unite us. But it cannot replace what it has quietly eroded: community, trust, and presence.

No algorithm can recreate the feeling of being understood.

Signs of Change

Momentum is building.

Families are starting to set device boundaries. Schools are banning phones during class. And lawmakers are pushing for accountability from social media companies, especially around youth safety.

The focus is shifting from endless engagement to intentional connection.

Technology isn’t going away, but how we use it can evolve. The next era of wellness isn’t about deleting apps; it’s about redesigning how they fit into our lives.

The Future of Connection

The panel’s closing message was clear: Social media isn’t inherently evil, but it’s dangerously unregulated and worth stating social media as a public health crisis.

The fix begins with awareness, boundaries, and collective action.