It is almost ubiquitous pop psychology that social media is bad for you. It has contributed to eating orders (Opens in a new window), bullying (Opens in a new window), and depression (Opens in a new window)— so much so that parents are often on the look out for ways to restrict the ways that children can use these platforms (Opens in a new window). But, rather than an app or helicopter parenting, some parents are relying on the legal system. From Reuters (Opens in a new window):
Dozens of U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms (META.O) (Opens in a new window) and its Instagram unit, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social media platforms.
In a complaint filed in the Oakland, California, federal court on Tuesday, 33 states including California and Illinois said Meta, which also operates Facebook, has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its platforms and knowingly induced young children and teenagers into addictive and compulsive social media use.
As interesting as the suit is, it is hard to know what law(s) Meta and its subsidiaries have broken. What are the causes of action — is causing depression in kids tortious? Is not doing “enough” to prevent online bullying a breach of contract? One of the more salient parts of the suit accuses Meta of collecting the data of children under 13, but the rest of the suit seems pretty nebulous.
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As giants like Google are displaced by social media apps like TikTok (Opens in a new window), it is expected for parents to want to control their children’s access to information and content that may negatively impact their mental health. That said, the work of parental restrictions may be better suited to a heart to heart in the living room rather than a judge’s gavel.
Instagram Linked To Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia In Kids – US States’ Lawsuit (Opens in a new window) [Reuters]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s (Opens in a new window). He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor (Opens in a new window), and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com (Opens in a new window) and by tweet at @WritesForRent (Opens in a new window).