(LibertyInsider.org) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) recently addressed New Yorkers in his third State of the City Address. The mayor won his election to lead the state in 2021, assuming his office the following year. Adams’ biography states that the mayor has been using his time in office to help his fellow residents have a better quality of life. In part of his recent address, he focused on the effects of social media.
On January 24, Mayor Adams stood at Hostos Community College for his speech, where he stated that Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was designating “social media as a public health crisis hazard” in the Big Apple. Adams said it was important to protect students in the city from the “growing dangers presented by social media.” He specifically named TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook as “fueling a mental health crisis.”
The mayor likened the move to the first step the surgeon general took years ago to warn people about the dangers of tobacco and guns. He called for social media companies and tech businesses in general to “take responsibility for their products.” While he didn’t go into detail about the designation or next steps in the apparent crisis, he said big tech was monetizing “children’s privacy and [jeopardizing] their mental health.” The mayor promised that New Yorkers would hear more about plans to address the issue going forward. Adams also promised to “correct” the problem “facing [NYC] children.”
According to ABC30, Vasan’s advisory stated that kids’ mental health in the city has been on a decline for over 10 years. It also reportedly showed data stating over three-quarters of NYC high schoolers spend over three hours every day online. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reportedly issued a similar advisory in May 2023, stating excessive social media usage could pose a “profound risk” to the mental health of America’s youth.
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