Lawsuit accuses companies behind TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube of harming young people’s mental health
‘Defendants have successfully exploited vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use.‘Defendants have successfully exploited vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use.
“Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants’ social media platforms,” it added, citing harmful content including extreme diet plans and encouragements of self-harm.
According to the lawsuit, from 2009 to 2019, there was on average a 30% increase in the number of students at Seattle public schools who reported feeling “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that [they] stopped doing some usual activities”. However, the lawsuit claims that the provision does not protect the social media companies and says they are liable for recommending, distributing and promoting content and marketing their social media platforms “in a way that causes harm”.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Too often harmful': Tech giants face lawsuit over youth mental health crisisA US school district says the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat should be liable for a mental health crisis among youth.
Read more »
TikTok car-fishing craze leads to closure of ancient Rufford fordCouncil steps in after videos on social media turn Nottinghamshire river crossing into viral tourist attraction
Read more »
Musk seeks to move trial out of San Francisco, claiming he can’t get fair trialMusk says negative local media coverage of shareholder lawsuit over 2018 Tesla tweet has biased jurors against him
Read more »
Concerns mount for Naomi Osaka as former No 1 withdraws from Australian OpenThe four-time grand slam champion has been holidaying in Europe and hasn’t played tennis since taking a mental health break in September
Read more »
Between battles, Ukraine's soldiers have a place to recoverA rehabilitation centre is giving Ukrainian soldiers a break from the front line while treating their mental and physical health.
Read more »
‘Vulnerable boys are drawn in’: schools fear spread of Andrew Tate’s misogynyThe notorious TikTok ‘influencer’ may be in jail, but his ‘terrifying’ ideology has already taken hold in classrooms, teachers say
Read more »