DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Juries have found Meta at fault for damage to children’s mental health in two separate lawsuits this week.
The cases are some of the first to reach trial in a wave of litigation across the country involving children and social media.
On Tuesday, a New Mexico jury sided with state prosecutors, determining Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health.
Then on Wednesday in California, a jury decided Meta and YouTube must pay millions to a woman who says she became addicted to social media as a child.
Duluth psychotherapist Mike Clabaugh of Insight Counseling says the lawsuits were inevitable given the data on social media and youth mental health.
“The impact and the effects might be irreparable. I mean, their brains are literally being rewired,” Clabaugh said.
University of Minnesota law professor Jane Kirtley says the cases are noteworthy from the legal side.
“Essentially it’s based on we provide an intangible product and yet we’re going to declare that it is unsafe or fundamentally flawed and can cause physical injury. So that could be very significant,” Kirtley said.
Legal questions remain
Both cases will almost certainly be appealed. Kirtley says the question will likely come down to platform versus content.
“One of the arguments that social media companies are going to make is that it’s the content that’s addictive,” Kirtley said.
With the average teen spending about five hours a day on social media, Clabaugh believes platforms are being engineered to trap users.
“If you want to trap anything, if you need bait, and these items offer the bait. In particular, they offer social comparison,” Clabaugh said.
Kirtley says it’s too soon to know if the verdicts will pave a path for other lawsuits.
“The bottom line is, until such time as an appeals court upholds these rulings, we really don’t know what the long-term outcome will be,” Kirtley said.
Clabaugh feels confident the lawsuits are just the tip of the iceberg.
“In the same way that we take action against Agent Orange or Roundup and all these other toxins out there that are impacting our health. Social media is doing the exact same thing,” Clabaugh said.
Legislative action underway
Many state legislatures, including Minnesota’s, are considering social media legislation.
Minnesota lawmakers discussed a bill Thursday morning that would set age limits for social media platforms.
Australia set the world’s first social media age limit late last year.
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