KiDS Campaign Launches Global Warning Label Day to Demand Health Warnings on Social Media Amid Youth Crisis

As Big Tech CEOs—many fathers—stay silent, KiDS Campaign unites 38 orgs on June 15 to demand warning labels and protect kids

BLOOMINGTON, MN, UNITED STATES, June 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Sunday, June 15, a global coalition of 38 partner organizations across six continents will join together for the inaugural "Global Warning Label Day" - a coordinated international effort calling for mandatory health warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those that are required by many countries for tobacco and alcohol.

The initiative is part of the KiDS: Keep It Digitally Safe Campaign, a growing movement advocating for warning labels on social media platforms and other reforms to address the significant mental health risks social media poses to children and adolescents. Recent research has linked excessive and unsafe use of social media to rising rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among youth.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for bold federal action to require warning labels on social platforms:

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”

The decision to hold Global Warning Label Day on June 15—Father’s Day in many countries—is symbolic and intentional. While not globally observed, the day highlights a universal truth: fathers and mothers alike are witnessing the harms social media causes their children. And many of the leaders of Big Tech platforms—those with the power to make meaningful change—are themselves parents.

Many of the KiDS Campaign Partners shared their thoughts about "Global Warning Label Day" and why warning labels can help save youth lives:

“Social media has caused tremendous harms to the mental health of young people and tech companies have deliberately created addictive platforms. The first step to a safer digital world is education about the dangers.”

— Ayaan Moledina, Federal Policy Director, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) www.studentsengaged.org

“Protecting young people online isn’t about restriction—it’s about autonomy. Warning labels aren’t just a novel design feature on social media; they can empower young people to think critically before they click. With clear, consistent warnings, young people can make informed choices in digital spaces that increasingly shape their lives and futures—not have them manipulated by algorithms.”

— Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director, Young People’s Alliance www.youngpeoplesalliance.org

“Social media was sold to us as the great connector—platforms where you could meet anyone. But it also means that our kids can meet anyone. In the past, campaigns like ‘Just Say No’ and ‘Stranger Danger’ protected our children from the evils of this world. Today, social media warning label campaigns can do the exact same thing.”

— Tyler Ly, Co-Founder, American Youth Association

“For too long, social media companies have been allowed to polarize our democracy, profit from division, and prey on our children without any consequences. Warning labels are a critical first step toward holding Big Tech publicly accountable for the mental and physical health harms they have perpetrated. Warning labels will help lead to legislative and legal actions that ensure these companies are no longer immune from liability for their dangerous products, just like every other corporation.”

— Alix Fraser, Vice President of Advocacy, Issue One www.issueone.org

“Tech companies are choosing to design their products to be toxic for kids—and making billions off their suffering. It is time to end this impunity. Children and parents, but also advertisers and investors, deserve better. Safety standards are sorely needed, as is more transparency. If products are for kids, make them safe. If they are not, make that 100% clear.”

— Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director, 5Rights Foundation www.5rightsfoundation.com

“I lost my 16-year-old daughter to suicide—and social media played a devastating role. These platforms are designed to addict and exploit, and they are harming our children every single day. How many more lives have to be lost before we demand change? We label harmful products like tobacco and alcohol—why is social media still getting a free pass? A warning label is the absolute minimum. Parents are sounding the alarm. It’s time for the world to listen.”

— Cheryl Brown, Survivor Parent, Founder, The McKenna Way www.themckennaway.com

“As a parent who lost a child via social media harm, I wish I had a warning about the dangers of Snapchat before our son, Sammy, died. It might have saved his life.”

— Samuel P. Chapman, CEO, Parent Collective Inc www.parentcollective.org

“At Paving the Way Foundation, we believe awareness is the first step to prevention. Supporting Global Warning Label Day helps us empower youth to recognize the real risks of social media and stand up for their safety.”

— Jan Edwards, Founder & President, Paving the Way Foundation www.pavingthewayfoundation.org

“Families have been kept in the dark about the risks social media poses to kids for far too long. Warning labels can give parents a clearer picture of the risks and help shift expectations about how young people deserve to be treated online. Their growing popularity reflects a growing global commitment to holding Big Tech accountable for designing and profiting off of products they know are harmful to kids.”

— Sacha Haworth, Executive Director, The Tech Oversight Project www.techoversight.org

“We have too many politicians making decisions based on their next election and not enough making decisions based on the next generation. It is well past time that we stand up and protect the next generation.”

— Brandon Guffey, SC House of Representatives, District 48; Parent Survivor

“This is not about politics. This is about public health. We label the products that can harm our children—why should social media get a free pass?”

— Erich Mische, CEO, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) www.save.org

“Parents need more tools in the toolbox to protect kids online. Social media warning labels will provide the space to pause and be reminded that these platforms are designed for addiction and are often rife with bad actors and illegal substances. Our children deserve every opportunity for safe online spaces.”

— Maurine Molak, David’s Legacy Foundation www.davidslegacy.org

“While we work to hold Big Tech accountable, they are shielded by Regulation 230. Therefore, social media warning labels will inform parents, children, and families of the online harms and dangers that are on their platforms.”

— Todd and Mia Minor, Matthew E. Minor Awareness Foundation www.matthewminorfoundation.org

"I shouldn’t have to be writing these lines - this shouldn’t still be up for debate. But here I am doing so, because the obvious remains same : we continue to treat and see our children and young people as data points, not as lives at stake. A global warning on social media needs no negotiation, it is a public health necessity. Governments across the world must move from silence to standards. Protection can not remain optional in digital design."

— Confidence Osein , Founder , Internet Safe Kids Africa www.linkedin.com/company/internet-safe-kids-africa

“When 38 organizations across six continents demand Big Tech accountability, Lynn’s Warriors takes it personally—because behind every statistic is a child, a family, a future we’re fighting to protect.”

— Lynn Shaw, Founder & Executive Director, Lynn’s Warriors www.lynnswarriors.org

“After working with communities over the past decade who have encountered tremendous harms on social media, it is past time for a warning label on these consumer products.”

— Dawn Wible, Founder, Talk More. Tech Less; Online Safety Advocate and Educator www.talkmoretechless.com

“We’re losing too many young lives to silence and shame, and social media is amplifying their pain. As a mom who nearly lost a teen to suicide and the founder of Promise2Live, I believe every child deserves a fighting chance. A clear warning label won’t solve everything, but it’s a powerful first step. It’s time to wake up, speak up, and act.”

— Brandy Vega, Founder, Promise2Live www.promise2live.org

“Technology and social media are the one consumer product with no federal legislation or regulatory oversight. Parents and children need to be informed that there are real dangers when using social media. What we need to remember is that when we give our children access to the world, we also give the world access to our children.”

— Erin Popolo, Founder, Emmy’s Champions www.emmyschampions.com

“Warning labels worked for tobacco and alcohol—and it’s time we applied the same wisdom to social media. The risks are real. Just as those products carried unseen harms, social media platforms—especially when used without limits—can affect mental health, attention, and identity development, particularly in young users. A well-placed warning label creates a crucial pause: a moment of recognition, a nudge toward awareness, a space for reconsideration. For teens and children—who often struggle with self-regulation and are especially vulnerable to the pull of infinite scrolling—that pause could be lifesaving. Let’s put on the brakes. Let’s bring social media back into balance with clear, visible warnings—because digital health deserves the same protection as physical health.”

— Christine Vineis, Unite for Safe Social Media www.uniteforsafesocialmedia.com

“For too long, we’ve allowed algorithms to steal our children’s attention and interfere with school time and family time, with tech companies facing zero accountability for the harm they are causing. Warning labels are a proven tool for raising awareness about health risks, and putting them on social media platforms would be an important first step toward giving kids and families our lives back.”

— Julie Scelfo, Founder & Executive Director, MAMA – Mothers Against Media Addiction www.wearemama.org

On June 15, KiDS Partners will post, and ask others to post, their warning label designs, videos, and messages of support across social media using the hashtag #GlobalWarningLabelDay and tagging the KiDS Campaign.

Posts will be amplified by campaign partners and featured on www.keepitdigitallysafe.org.

About the KiDS Campaign

The KiDS: Keep It Digitally Safe Campaign is a global initiative dedicated to protecting children and adolescents from the harmful effects of social media. Through public awareness, youth-led advocacy, cross-sector partnerships, and calls for transparency and regulation, the campaign is working to make digital spaces safer for the next generation.

To learn more or to participate in Global Warning Label Day, visit https://keepitdigitallysafe.org/

Erich Mische
SAVE-Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
+1 651-600-1188
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