We know it: social networks are capable of the best and the worst. Precisely: this Friday, January 6, 2023, several officials of public schools located in Seattle (in the United States) filed a complaint against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, TikTok and Google denouncing a “achievementof the mental health of their students.
The directors of these schools accuse these companies of having exploited “the psychology and neurophysiology of their users so that they spend more and more time on their platforms, (…) creating a mental health crisis among young Americans“, And this “for profit [car] the more time users spend on these platforms, the more ads defendants can sell“.
An increase in feelings of sadness and despair among students
“The increase in suicides, attempted suicides and mental health-related ER visits is no coincidence, they add. This crisis was already worsening before the pandemic and research has identified social media as playing a major role in the onset of mental health issues among young people.“
In the nearly 90-page document, the plaintiffs cite multiple polls indicating an approximately 30% increase in feelings of sadness and hopelessness among Seattle public school students between 2009 and 2019.
It is difficult to know whether this complaint will lead (or not) to a condemnation of the web giants. In the meantime, we remind you that (legally) access to social networks is prohibited before the age of 13; However, according to a survey published in September 2022, 87% of children aged 11 to 12 have an account on Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram.
Source : Geekwire
