Mental health problems and social networks meet again within the framework of legality and justice. Five renowned platforms they were sued for allegedly having been developed with the intention that children and young people become addicted.
Social media apps are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat and TikTok. The lawsuit was filed by a legal team from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. And they were presented at the different headquarters of the companies, located in California, United States.
It is not the first time that mental health and social networks are in a debate about justice. Mark Zuckerberg had to render accounts between the years 2020 and 2021 for having hidden information that certified that Instagram caused anxiety problems in young people.
At the time, they misused the data of some 87 million users, to suggest content that increased the traffic of the platforms. They carried out these measures, despite the fact that their reports showed that the method generated anxiety and insecurity, especially in adolescents and young people.
New lawsuit for mental health problems due to social networks
Mark Zuckerberg himself, president of Meta, made all the reports available and supposedly ordered changes to be made to the algorithms of the social networks that his organization manages (Facebook and Instagram).
However, this new county lawsuit in Pennsylvania ensures that these two apps and others such as TikTok, SnapChat and YouTube continue to cause addiction and anxiety problems that, in the worst case, lead to suicide, according to a review. Time.
“The algorithms they are using are not accidentally getting kids addicted. They are deliberately addicting children to the use of their products and doing so insidiously,” says part of the lawsuit (110 pages), which publishes Univision in a note.
The process was filed by a private law firm, but was supported by District Attorney Matt Weintraub. “It’s a David versus Goliath situation,” he expressed in reference to the weight that each of these applications have throughout the world.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked or beleaguered by parents who just don’t know where to turn because their children are suicidal or suffering from anxiety or depression. And this phenomenon, I think, corresponds with the advent and propensity of social media that has targeted our youth,” Weintraub said.
None of the companies have responded to this complaint. However, El Tiempo advances, citing a Bloomberg report, which Meta affirmed that among his recent massive layoffs there was no budget cut in his mental well-being directions. “We’ve actually increased funding as evidenced by the 30+ tools we offer to support teens and families,” a spokesperson for Zuckerberg’s company said.
