US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy, one of the most influential presidential appointees in terms of public health guidance, has announced his desire for social media platforms to have a warning label due to increasing concern about potential effects social networks might be having on teenagers and pre-teenagers.
Dr Murthy made the call in an essay written for the New York Times, which comes amid a growing chorus of academics, parents and mental health experts voicing concern about the possible ramifications caused by social media apps.
The platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, are not new to criticism from various governments around the world, but a warning label akin to something found on cigarettes or alcohol would signal a new level of public health concern.
In the essay, Dr Murthy, appointed by US President Joe Biden, did not mince his words about what he felt was the ample research showing the potential mental health dangers faced by teenagers who spend a lot of time on social media.
"These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability," he wrote.
In his essay, Dr Murthy didn't stop at simply pushing for a warning label. He also told the New York Times that there should be increased cooperation between social media companies and medical researchers.
"Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits," he wrote.
In a previous interview on the subject, Dr Murthy also said that, in his view, the platforms were designed to make it difficult for users to simply log off and look away.
“It’s one thing to do that to an adult, and another thing to do it to a child, whose impulse control is still developing, whose brain is at a sensitive phase of development," he said.
Dr Murthy is not alone by any measure in his criticisms about the potential effects social media platforms might have on younger users.
For several months on bestseller lists in the US, American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, which largely seeks to indict smartphones and social media for causing an increase in mental illness, has enjoyed sustained success on the charts.
In his book, Mr Haidt recommends action from parents and schools to limit smartphone access, especially among preteens.
The commotion and consternation surrounding social media and smartphone addiction has prompted a lot of debate as to how to best address potential technologically induced societal woes.
When asked about teenagers and the potential for social media and technology addiction in an interview with The National, entrepreneur and social media content guru Gary Vaynerchuk said that largely, in his view, that parenting was to blame.
“Anything not in moderation is a problem,” he said. “If you're saying being on your cell phone 15 hours a day constantly is a problem, yes, of course, it is ... be a parent and take it [smartphone] away, delete the app, moderate your child,” he said.
“I think we have a parenting pandemic,” he explained. “What I'm fascinated by is that we are in a generation of parenting that is not willing to have children face consequences and ramifications for their actions. I think that's our issue.”
Mr Vaynerchuk did explain, however, that he was not trying to absolve big technology companies completely.
“No, I fully agree,” he said. “My argument though, is that we're always talking about big tech, and we're always talking about regulation. Why aren't we talking about parenting?”
There are, however, critics of the social media platform pile-on, who point to other societal woes that may have more of an influence on teenage mental health.
All debates aside, it remains to be seen exactly how warning disclaimers or labels might be placed on social media platforms.
Any sort of label would have to likely stem from congressional legislation.
On a bi-partisan level, both Democrats and Republicans have shown their willingness to scrutinise Big Tech in recent years.
Most recently, both houses of congress passed a bill that could eventually ban TikTok in the US, but that bill is currently being litigated by TikTok's parent company, ByteDance.
Any sort of mandated mental health disclaimer would probably trigger similar litigation from social media companies.
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
