Current Events: Social Media & Youth Mental Health

Since late 2022, a handful of United States school districts have filed lawsuits against social media companies, claiming that the platforms have caused, or directly influenced, a mental health crisis amongst students. The lawsuits claim that social media has made the school districts’ job of educating their students nearly impossible because of the addictive nature of the platforms’ technology. School districts in Washington, Oregon, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Arizona have all filed similar lawsuits, directed at social media sites like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Though each lawsuit’s claims are relatively unique, they commonly allege that the social media companies’ platforms exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of people, especially young people, to ensure these younger users spend as much time on the platform as possible. These long usage times equates to more advertisement profits, which the suits allege is a primary motivating factor for the companies, at the expense of young people’s mental health.

According to reports, more than 90% of children ages 13 to 17 use social media, which highlights both the importance of the user base for the platforms, as well as the ubiquitousness of social media usage in young people. One study found that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media are at a higher risk of mental health problems, including suicidal ideation. Social media use has also been linked to increased feelings of social isolation, as individuals may compare their own lives to the curated, filtered versions of others they see online.

The lawsuits have generated a number of legal questions around both the ability of the school districts to sue and their chances of a successful verdict. More than one district has noted that their motivations to bring suits are varied. Universally it seems that districts’ desire to ensure these social media platforms curb their current practices and take serious steps in altering how their business models and algorithms target young people, and some districts are also seeking financial compensation in the hopes to obtain resources to combat the alleged harms already done to today’s school-aged youth.

This week’s Current Events resources examine the ongoing conversations around social media’s impact on the mental health of students and young people. The resources shared provide information and context around the ongoing lawsuits aimed at social media companies’ impact on its young users and the way communities are approaching mitigating and addresses the associated issues.

Essential Questions, Vocabulary & Extend the Resources:

What is social media?
How have youth’s social media habits changed over the last 15 years?
What impacts have been observed in youth who use social media platforms?
Why are school districts around the U.S. suing social media platforms? Do you believe they will be successful? Explain
In your opinion, are lawsuits and court actions the proper venue for government entities to try to intervene and protect youth from the negative consequences of current social media usage? If not, what other actions would be more effective? Explain.
In your opinion, what level of responsibility do social media companies have as it relates to the wellbeing of their younger users?

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