Most in new poll support social media warning label

Nearly 3 in 4 voters heading into the November election think there should be a warning label applied to social media platforms — similar to those applied to R-rated movies, alcohol and tobacco, according to a new survey.

The idea has been controversial, but support spans responding age groups in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, released Wednesday.

“There is broad support for waving a red warning flag over social media in general,” Quinnipiac University Polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a breakdown of the results.

Studies have suggested that social media can have a significant effect on mental health in adolescents. Support for warning labels in the survey found voters of all ages, especially younger voters, think a label could be needed.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is among the proponents of a warning label on social media platforms.

“The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” Murthy wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”

Murthy has said he and his wife plan to wait until their kids get to high school before letting them explore social media platforms.

“When they’re in high school, my wife and I will reassess then, based on their maturity, what the data says about safety and whether there are safety standards in place,” Murthy said in a CNN interview last week.

The survey included 1,405 self-identified registered voters nationwide and was conducted June 20-24. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.