San Mateo County, home to tech giant Meta, urged Congress to pass legislation requiring social media companies to add labels to their platforms warning people about their potential to harm users’ mental health.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday, the same day 42 state attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, called on Congress to address the mental health risks associated with social media. They were echoing a call to action by the U.S. surgeon general, who said adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of developing anxiety and depression symptoms as those who aren’t on social media.
“Evidence from tobacco studies shows that warning labels can be effective in raising awareness and influencing behavior and health risks,” the resolution stated. “The County of San Mateo is committed to protecting the health and well-being of its residents, particularly its young people, and recognizes the need for measures to mitigate mental health risks associated with social media use.”
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the county’s resolution.
In a June op-ed in The New York Times, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy lambasted social media platforms — likening them to cancer-causing cigarettes.
“These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability,” Murthy said in an essay.
The resolution, introduced by Supervisor David Canepa, emphasized the need for legislation to protect the mental health of county residents.
In July, Canepa wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to tell people about the risks of using Meta platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
“I am urging you, as the CEO and founder of a San Mateo County-based $1 trillion company, to voluntarily and immediately add warning labels to all of Meta’s social media platforms,” Canepa wrote.
In a separate phone interview with the Bay Area News Group, Canepa acknowledged that tech regulation might fall under state or federal jurisdiction but stressed the importance of the county taking a stand, given several major tech companies are located there. He is particularly concerned about young people being exposed to toxic content.
“All politics is local,” Canepa said. “For example, if there’s something racist or anti-Semitic, there needs to be a label. As the county board, we’re asking them to address this problem.”
“Social media companies have continuously demonstrated an unwillingness to tackle the youth mental health crisis, instead prioritizing profits,” said Bonta, a former state Assemblymember from Alameda County. “Warning labels on social media are a clear, straightforward way to communicate the risks to young users.”
Earlier this year, San Mateo became the first county in the nation to declare loneliness a public health emergency, also based on Murthy’s recommendations.
