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Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: 'Staying Human' Requires Connection and Time Away from Tech

May 2026 🇺🇸 WBUR

This May 2026 WBUR profile covers 'Staying Human,' a newsletter and forthcoming podcast launched by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy as part of a broader project addressing loneliness. The piece reports that Murthy warns digital platforms are 'replacing people wholesale' for some users, and describes AI companion chatbots as a newer concern he associates with the risk of substituting for authentic relationships, alongside social media comparison and excessive screen time more broadly. He recommends remedies including tech-free zones, prioritizing in-person relationships, and community service, arguing that genuine human connection carries health benefits — including lower association with anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular risk — that digital substitutes do not replicate. TechKids Foundation cites this piece as Murthy's most recent public extension of his social media and loneliness advocacy into the newer concern of AI companion technology.

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"Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: 'Staying Human' Requires Connection and Time Away from Tech." WBUR, May 21, 2026.

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