The Surgeon General's Screen Warning Is Not Science
The recent advisory from the Office of the Surgeon General on screen time for children lacks robust scientific backing. It highlights the challenges in establishing causality between screen use and mental health issues. Despite its authoritative tone, the advisory's claims are primarily based on correlational data rather than conclusive evidence.
- ▪The advisory on screen use was released by the Office of the Surgeon General on May 20.
- ▪It explicitly states that its findings are not based on a formal systematic review.
- ▪A 2024 meta-analysis found that associations between social media use and mental health were small and inconsistent.
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Health The Surgeon General's Screen Warning Is Not Science The screen time advisory reveals why we don’t need a surgeon general. Jeffrey A. Singer and Adam Omary | 6.5.2026 5:06 PM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/06/Kids-phone-6-5-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="teen on phone" alt="teen on phone | Thomas Trutschel/picture alliance / photothek.de/Newscom" /> (Thomas Trutschel/picture alliance / photothek.de/Newscom) The country has gone without a Senate-confirmed surgeon general for more than a year, yet the office continues producing…
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