Surgeon General Releases Advisory On Social Media Impacts On Youth

The Surgeon General is warning Americans of the dangers of how social media is affecting the mental health of kids and teenagers.

Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on Tuesday calling for action from lawmakers, the tech industry, parents, children and researchers.

The advisory outlines the good and the bad of social media, saying it can provide a sense of community and be a space for self-expression, but it can also have a "profound risk of harm" to mental health for kids and teens.

The advisory said a survey of 8th and 10th graders showed the average time spent on social media is 3.5 hours a day.

Dee Harris with Family and Children Services said its seeing a "soar" in the youth mental health crisis, and is on track to provide services to 6,000 children and families this year, which is a 30 percent increase from last year.

"Parents know their children better than anybody and need to understand where the lines are and how to enforce those lines. It's also a great platform for socialization and there's that side of it too. So it's all about that balanced approach to tech, but not being so fearful of tech that you can't function within it, because it's not going away,” Harris said.

Click here to look at the advisory, which includes what the surgeon general said parents and caregivers can do about this problem.