A public school district in Seattle sued social media giants such as TikTok, Snap, Meta and YouTube on Friday for causing a mental health crisis among students.
The lawsuit alleges that the company’s algorithm recommended content that promoted eating disorders.
The district was seeking punitive damages and to stop technology companies from causing pollution. The tech giant isn’t responsible for anything published by its users, but the lawsuit is aimed at content promoted through recommendations and algorithms.
“Plaintiffs do not claim that defendants are responsible for what third parties say on defendants’ platforms, but rather defendants’ own actions.” “Defendants actively endorse and promote content that is harmful to young people, including content that promotes anorexia and eating disorders,” the lawsuit said.
TikTok is one of the most frequently downloaded social media apps worldwide and is popular not only in the United States, but especially among younger users.
(CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Teens sue Meta for ‘deliberately’ making platform addictive and harmful: ‘They are fully aware’
The lawsuit also said mental health issues such as anxiety and depression increased by 30% from 2009 to 2019.
A Seattle Public Schools student reported feeling “extremely sad and hopeless for more than two weeks in a row, almost every day,” and quitting his usual activities.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the defendants for comment.
Police said the victim and suspect met on the social media app Snapchat.
(Nicholas Cocovlis/NurPhoto)
Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, Inc., said in a statement, “While we cannot comment on the details of the ongoing lawsuit, nothing is more important than the well-being of our community.”
“Snapchat is designed to help people communicate with their true friends without some of the social pressure and social comparison features of traditional social media platforms, and it’s a way for strangers to connect with young people. is intentionally made difficult,” the spokesperson continued. “We are also working closely with a number of mental health organizations to provide Snapchat users with in-app tools and resources as part of our ongoing efforts to keep our communities safe. and will continue to work to help Snapchatters address their mental health issues, a wellness resource that can help address the challenges facing today’s youth.”
Instagram launches feature to encourage teens to take breaks
In a statement to ABC, Google said, “We have invested heavily in providing a safe experience for children across our platforms, introducing strong protections and purpose-built features to prioritize children’s health. I did,” he said.
Google was never officially responsible for the content consumed by Americans, so Todd Ricketts, chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Finance Committee, wants to offer an alternative.
(Associated Press)
Lawmakers step up warnings on TIKTOK, call for nationwide ban: ‘It’s digital fentanyl’
TikTok has been identified as a potential national security concern. In December, the House of Representatives ordered the immediate removal of the social networking app TikTok from the device, according to an email obtained by Fox News.
In an email, House Chief Executive Catherine L. Spinder wrote a letter notifying staff and lawmakers that TikTok was banned “from all House-controlled devices.” The email states that the policy will take effect “immediately.”
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The message came after Congress included a bill banning TikTok from executive branch devices Over 4,000 pages The omnibus package passed last week.
Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark, Tyler Olsen, and Brianna Herlihy.
