Posted on Oct 25, 2023
States sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook fueled youth mental health crisis
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/24/ [login to see] /states-sue-meta-claiming-instagram-facebook-fueled-youth-mental-health-crisis
A group of more than 40 states sued Meta on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of designing products that are deliberately addictive and fuel the youth mental health crisis.
The legal actions allege that Meta has deceived the public about the harms of Facebook and Instagram, which the attorneys general say "exploit and manipulate" children.
Some observers are likening the litigation to the lawsuits of the 1990s against Big Tobacco that imposed new limits on tobacco industry marketing.
Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, said she hopes the suits force Meta to enact similar changes.
A group of more than 40 states sued Meta on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of designing products that are deliberately addictive and fuel the youth mental health crisis.
The legal actions allege that Meta has deceived the public about the harms of Facebook and Instagram, which the attorneys general say "exploit and manipulate" children.
Some observers are likening the litigation to the lawsuits of the 1990s against Big Tobacco that imposed new limits on tobacco industry marketing.
Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, said she hopes the suits force Meta to enact similar changes.
States sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook fueled youth mental health crisis
Posted from npr.org
Children
Mental Health
Facebook
Social Media
Posted 6 mo ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In one internal finding the paper surfaced in its 2021 Facebook Files investigation, 32% of teen girls who felt bad about their bodies said using Instagram made them feel worse.
The connection between teens' mental health and social media has sparked a heated debate.
Twenge at San Diego State University was a researcher on some large surveys of teens nationwide, and some of her work is cited by prosecutors in the lawsuits.
She said adolescents are in the midst of a mental health crisis. She points to teen depression doubling between 2011 and 2021. Various experts point to many different variables, yet Twenge said the obvious driver to her is social media.
"No other explanation really fits for why we have a doubling in teen depression at a time when the economy was doing well and crime was going down, and almost every other indicator for teens was getting better, but they were spending a lot more time on social media, a lot less time with each other face to face and less time sleeping," she said."
..."In one internal finding the paper surfaced in its 2021 Facebook Files investigation, 32% of teen girls who felt bad about their bodies said using Instagram made them feel worse.
The connection between teens' mental health and social media has sparked a heated debate.
Twenge at San Diego State University was a researcher on some large surveys of teens nationwide, and some of her work is cited by prosecutors in the lawsuits.
She said adolescents are in the midst of a mental health crisis. She points to teen depression doubling between 2011 and 2021. Various experts point to many different variables, yet Twenge said the obvious driver to her is social media.
"No other explanation really fits for why we have a doubling in teen depression at a time when the economy was doing well and crime was going down, and almost every other indicator for teens was getting better, but they were spending a lot more time on social media, a lot less time with each other face to face and less time sleeping," she said."
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