Social media can often be more aptly characterized as antisocial media. Purveyors of conspiracy theories, misinformation, misogyny, white supremacy and antisemitism thrive in these supposedly sociable swaths of the Internet.
Beyond toxic politics, social media has also become a 21st century venue for teenage bullies and bad boyfriends, mean girls and malicious rumors. The often fragile psyches of adolescents do not always fare well in this online toxic environment and many people blame social media for a big spike in cyberbullying, prolonged depression and suicide attempts among young Americans.
There is evidence to suggest that the big tech companies that dominate social media purposely target teens to hook them on their platforms, like pushers dealing in digital drugs. Does that mean these companies — the corporations behind Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube — bear some measure of responsibility for the youth mental health crisis?
That proposition may soon be tested in court. Seattle Public Schools is suing the tech firms, claiming that the district has been directly harmed because schools have had to divert significant resources from other programs in order to cope with a startling increase in mental health problems among students, problems that the schools contend can be attributed to the hazards of social media.
Personally, I would be quite pleased to see the tech giants with their billions of dollars in profits be forced to take responsibility for the dark side of their businessthis, but is the link between their marketing schemes and the psychological crisis among Seattle kids clear enough that it can be proven in court? It might help if Seattle schools were not taking up this fight alone and could find other school districts around the country to take up the cause, as well, the way SPS allied with a group of districts in a suit against e-cigarette makers Juul Labs and Altria.
Gov. Jay Inslee declared a youth mental health crisis in this state last year and there is little doubt that the usual sources of teen angst have been greatly magnified by social media. But a lone school district taking on the business behemoths of Silicon Valley seems like a daunting David and Goliath battle.
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