The Surgeon General's playbook every family can copy

In May 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General issued a formal advisory on social media and youth mental health — the kind of statement reserved for urgent public-health issues. Crucially, it didn't stop at sounding an alarm; it handed parents a concrete tool. Its lead recommendation: create a written Family Media Plan using the AAP's free HealthyChildren.org resources, model healthy use yourself, and follow the AAP's media guidance. The plan lets a family set priorities and boundaries — device-free times, charging locations, content rules — that everyone has agreed to in advance.

With up to 95% of teens on social media, blanket bans are often unrealistic. A written, shared plan works better than ad-hoc rules because it replaces nightly negotiations with expectations the whole family signed off on.

• Build the plan with your teen, not for them — buy-in is what makes it hold.
• Set device-free zones and times (meals, bedrooms, the hour before sleep).
• Revisit it a few times a year as apps and your teen's needs change.

• Make a free plan at HealthyChildren.org's Family Media Plan tool.
• Read the Surgeon General's advisory for the evidence and talking points.
• Anchor it with the AAP's age-based media recommendations.

• HHS — Surgeon General's advisory on social media and youth mental health (PDF) hhs.gov ↗
• AAP News — surgeon general advisory on social media publications.aap.org ↗
• Yale Medicine — a parent's guide to social media and teen mental health yalemedicine.org ↗

← Back to all case studies