US public schools blame big tech companies for harms of social media, mental health crisis in lawsuit: All details

Seattle’s public school district has filed a lawsuit against Big Tech alleging that the companies are responsible for a growing mental health crisis among students and a direct impact on their ability to carry out their mission. educational mission of schools.

Complaint, filed on Friday against Alphabet the company, meta Platforms Inc, Snap Inc and TikTok-the owner of ByteDance with the US District Court, claiming that they knowingly design their products to entice young people into their platform and are creating a mental health crisis.

In statements emailed to Reuters, Google says it has invested heavily in creating a safe experience for children on its platforms, and has introduced “robust safeguards and dedicated features to prioritize their well-being” , while Snap says it works closely with a variety of mental health organizations to provide tools and in-app resources for children. users and the well-being of the community is its top priority.

Meta and TikTok platforms did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. In the past, the companies have said their goal is to create a pleasant user experience and exclude harmful content, and invest in moderation and content control.

The lawsuit says the companies’ actions were a key factor in the youth mental health crisis.

“The defendant successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of young people, drawing tens of millions of students across the country into a positive feedback loop about the overuse and abuse of social media platforms. Defendant’s Association,” the lawsuit said.

Complaints say students with mental health issues underperform, prompting schools to take steps including training teachers to identify and address such symptoms, hiring trained staff and create more resources to warn students about the dangers of social media.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and other penalties.

In 2021, US lawmakers accused Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of promoting higher profits at the expense of children’s mental health following the testimony of whistleblower Frances Haugen. Facebook has repeatedly said it disagrees with Haugen’s claim that the company has failed to protect teenage girls on Instagram.

“The argument that we intentionally push content that makes people angry for profit is extremely illogical,” he posted on his Facebook page in response. “We make money from ads, and advertisers keep telling us they don’t want their ads next to harmful or angry content. And I don’t know of any tech companies that want to create one. produce products that make people angry or depressed.”