The school board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is taking America’s largest social media platforms to court, claiming they have played a role in exacerbating a “mental health crisis” in American youths. This legal action, consisting of a 184-page document, was just submitted to the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
The lawsuit names platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, with companies like Meta and Google also mentioned as defendants.
The Suit contains the following “Factual Alligations”:
A. DEFENDANTS’ APPS HAVE CREATED A YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH
CRISIS.
B. DEFENDANTS TARGET CHILDREN AS A CORE MARKET, HOOKING
KIDS ON THEIR ADDICTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
C. META MARKETS AND DESIGNS FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO
ADDICT YOUNG USERS, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
The suit also contains the following image of Facebook ads;
and alleges that “approval of these pro-drug, pro-anorexia, pro-sexualization ads targeted to children aged 13 to 17, one could argue that it proves that Facebook is allowing and perhaps facilitating the targeting of harmful adult-themed ads to our nation’s children.”
The crux of the board’s lawsuit argues that the tech giants are indirectly compelling Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to expand their staffing and allocate more hours to address students’ mental, emotional, and societal well-being concerns. The lawsuit further claims that these platforms are causing schools to redirect “resources and time away from educational activities.”
You can read the entire court filing here.
What do you think about the suit?
