Surgeon General Vivek Murthy drew a tsunami of scorn after he warned parents that 13-year-olds are too young to be on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram because they are still “developing their identity” at that age.
Speaking on “CNN Newsroom,” Murthy said, “I believe 13 is too early. And I think that it’s a time, early adolescence, where kids are developing their identity, their sense of self…And the skewed and distorted environment of social media does a disservice to many children.”
(Video: CNN)
Murthy recalled an 11-year-old girl who committed suicide after she was “mercilessly” bullied on the many social media accounts she was “hooked” on.
The girl “had started using social media, had seven accounts on three different platforms, was mercilessly bullied, unfortunately, by people on these platforms, struggled to get off of these but could not,” he said. “She felt hooked onto them.”
“If your child is the only one who’s not using social media but everyone else in their school is, it’s a tough position for your child to be in,” the surgeon general conceded. “But if parents can ban together and say, as a group, we’re not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever the age is they choose, that’s a much more effective strategy, making sure your kids don’t get exposed to harm early.”
And that’s about when Twitter exploded.
Dr. Murthy may feel that a 13-year-old is too impressionable for TikTok, but he’s evidently totally okay with young children receiving life-altering puberty blockers or mutilating surgeries.
“Forcing parents to choose between following medical advice for their child and risking an investigation from the state is simply not right,” he tweeted in March in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s investigation of parents who medically “transition” their children’s gender for possible child abuse. “The government shouldn’t be interfering with decisions between doctors and patients.”
Forcing parents to choose between following medical advice for their child and risking an investigation from the state is simply not right. The government shouldn’t be interfering with decisions between doctors and patients. 4/5
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) March 12, 2022
He also seems good with injecting “developing” six-month-olds with an unnecessary and experimental vaccine.
“As a father and as Surgeon General, I’m thrilled that @US_FDA and @CDCgov are recommending the first #COVID19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years old,” he tweeted in June, “and I encourage parents to make an appointment to get your kids vaccinated.”
As a father and as Surgeon General, I'm thrilled that @US_FDA and @CDCgov are recommending the first #COVID19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years old, and I encourage parents to make an appointment to get your kids vaccinated. 1/5
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) June 18, 2022
The blatant hypocrisy was too much for some Twitter users to silently swallow.
“Is 13 too early for being a test subject for an unnecessary experimental mRNA concoction or whacking off private parts?” one user asked.
Is 13 too early for being a test subject for an unnecessary experimental mRNA concoction or whacking off private parts? https://t.co/pSh07Ekwlq
— Being Libertarian (@beinlibertarian) January 30, 2023
Too early for social media, but they should be able to choose their gender? Y’all are a joke, but yes I agree, 13 is far too young. Hell, 18 is too young.
— PuraVida (@x_PuraVida_x) January 30, 2023
…but not too early for the vaccine. Totally makes sense.
— cœstæl cøwbôÿ (@MINED_YOUR_BIZ) January 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/ScandinavianBot/status/1620058390583181312?s=20&t=9tmhIU1LZ2OylCMGgo4krA
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