The U.S. still doesn’t have a surgeon general — so RFK Jr. just stepped in with a controversial warning about kids and screens

The U.S. may not have a surgeon general right now, but that isn’t stopping Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from sending out a public health advisory usually reserved for America’s top doctor. The surgeon general’s office issued a warning this week about the dangers of screen time for kids and teens, calling for a society-wide behavioral shift around technology. ”While screen use can have some benefits, the evidence of a range of risks to children’s overall mental and physical health is mounting,” Kennedy wrote. “These negative outcomes are related to harmful use, including use by children with vulnerable medical conditions, along with the ubiquity of devices and features deliberately built into many tech platforms to promote “engagement,” a positive sounding word that, for too many young people, is a path to addiction-like behavior.” In the absence of a Senate-confirmed surgeon general, Kennedy is leaning on Stephanie Haridopolos, a family physician who serves in the office of the surgeon general, to temporarily fill the role. Kennedy’s first surgeon general pick fizzled over concerns about her lack of experience as a practicing physician and her noncommittal approach to childhood vaccines — a perspective she shares with Kennedy, who had made a number of controversial changes to vaccine recommendations as the country’s top health official. Kennedy urges action to shrink kids’ screen time The new surgeon general’s report calls on parents, schools, and even healthcare providers to work together to reduce the amount of time that kids are exposed to harmful screen use, which it defines as “patterns of use that are excessive, difficult to control, or involve exposure to content or interactions that may harm a child’s well-being.” The surgeon general’s office specifically cites worries over developmental and cognitive risks, worse educational and physical health outcomes, sleep disruption, and behavioral problems linked to social media use, including cyberbullying.