Biden Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on "CNN Newsroom" Saturday that he believes children under 13 are "too young" to be on social media because children are still "developing their identity," and the remark is receiving some heat from online critics who called out the Biden administration's recent take on gender transitions for minors.
"I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early … It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children," Murthy said.
"What about puberty blockers, Vivek?!" tweeted activist Chris Elston.
"Yeah, first gender correction surgery, then social media," another Twitter user said, responding to the statement.
OPINION: BIDEN'S GENDER TRANSITION PROPOSAL CEMENTS SCHOOL-TO-CLINIC PIPELINE
A third user slammed the narrative, writing, "Ludicrous, if a 13 y.o. Can decide to transition at age 11, then joining TikTok is of little consequence."
"Same can be said for Gender Surgery's, Puberty Blockers, Etc." another added.
"But let them pick their gender at age 3," another user said.
Murthy equated limitations on social media for minors to laws to ensure that vehicles are safe.
"When we had dangerous vehicles on the road, we passed laws to make those vehicles less dangerous. We should make decisions to make [social media] a healthier experience that would make kids feel better about themselves and less alone," he said Saturday.
He told "CNN Newsroom" host Pamela Brown that parents should look to push back the age at which their children begin using social media platforms to make sure kids "don't get exposed to harm early."
Last March, Murthy addressed a directive from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R., effectively cutting gender-affirming care for minors in his state, taking to Twitter to write, "Yesterday afternoon in Austin, I met with transgender youth and their parents to hear how they are coping in light of the state's recent directive equating gender-affirming care to child abuse."
"The pain and fear in their voices was heartbreaking. Parents and kids are terrified about being separated. They described repeated attacks on their families at traumatic… LGBTQ+ youth were already at increased risk of suicide and other mental health struggles. We should be seeking to provide them with support and medical care….
"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," he continued.
