Arkansas AG Tim Griffin joins 41 other AGs calling for congressional requirement for social media surgeon general warning

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A warning sounded by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has led Arkansas and 41 additional states to ask for congressional action on social media.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has joined 41 other attorneys general in signing a letter calling for Congress to pass legislation requiring a surgeon general’s warning on “all algorithm-driven social media platforms.”

A study by the surgeon general about social media and youth mental health came out in May. In it, Vivek warned that still-forming adolescent brains could be impacted by being exposed to harmful content on social media, including violence, sexual content, harassment and bullying.

Research for the surgeon general’s study suggests that children who spend more than three hours a day on social media double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.

Griffin said social media impacts can be devastating for youth.

“Social media platforms have become part of everyday life for most Americans, but it’s no secret that their algorithms are inherently addictive and can have devastating impacts on young people,” Griffin said. “That’s why I joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in support of the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent call for Congress to require that a warning be placed on all algorithm-driven social media platforms.”

Griffin acknowledged that the warning would not be a cure-all but a “step in the right direction” for keeping children safe online.

Arkansas in 2023 was among the first states to file lawsuits against TikTok and Meta for deceiving consumers and pushing their addictive and harmful algorithms to minors. As noted in the Tuesday letter to Congress, 45 states have now filed or joined similar lawsuits.

Attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee co-led the letter. Joining in signing the letter in addition to Arkansas were the attorneys general of Alabama, American Samoa, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

A copy of the letter is available at Arkansas.gov.