ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION URGING SURGEON GENERAL WARNING ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

News Release from Hawaii Attorney General, September 10, 2024

HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez and 41 other attorneys general today jointly called on congressional lawmakers to pass legislation requiring a U.S. Surgeon General warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms. The letter comes amid growing scrutiny of social media companies for their role in generational harm to young people’s mental health.

States have already taken historic action to hold platforms accountable for the harm they have caused young people. Last year, 45 states and the District of Columbia brought lawsuits against Meta, and many states are either investigating or actively suing TikTok in state court. Despite these efforts to address the harms caused by social media platforms, the attorneys general say the need for federal action is clear. 

“We believe that issuing warning labels pursuant to the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation is an important step toward protecting our keiki from the risks and harms posed by social media platforms. We are hopeful that Congress recognizes this growing crisis and will enact legislation to address this issue soon,” said Christopher Han, a deputy attorney general with the Department of the Attorney General’s Commerce and Economic Development Division.

The attorneys general say more action is necessary because “social media platforms have demonstrated an unwillingness to fix the problem on their own.” 

Attorney General Anne Lopez joins the attorneys general of Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.  

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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HNN: Hawaii AG urges congress to require mental health warnings on social media (hawaiinewsnow.com)

KHON: Hawaii, 41 states urge 'warning labels' for social media (khon2.com)