I’m doubtful average Americans know what modern surgeons general actually do, as these uniformed “generals” — appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate — issue proclamations designed to improve our health. Yet the latest attention-grabbing idea by surgeon general Vivek Murthy is so foolhardy that it undermines the authority of this position. Not surprisingly, many media outlets are taking the proposal seriously.

In a guest essay this week in the New York Times, Murthy advocates a new idea to reduce what he views as a mental health crisis among young people. He learned in medical school that in an emergency, “you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information.” Instead, “you assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.” His best judgment suggests that Congress target the supposed source of this crisis: social media.

“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,” he wrote. This label “would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.” He argues that warning labels on tobacco products boosted “awareness” of the dangers of smoking and caused people to change their behavior.