Schools have never figured out how to use social media well. Whether it’s banning cell phones, banning ChatGPT, or failing at providing a quality virtual learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear the traditional public school system hasn’t made it into the 21st century.
And now 41 states have decided to sue Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta over the social media giant’s impact on kids. According to EducationWeek online,
“Thirty-three states are banding together to sue Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, saying the social media giant is consciously harming children’s mental health. An additional eight states, plus the District of Columbia, are filing suits in their own states over similar issues.”
“The broader lawsuit, filed by a bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general in California’s federal court, also claims that the company shares data about children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal privacy laws.”
“Meta disagreed with their contention and said states should be working to craft standards for platform use by young people.”
“But the language in the lawsuit from the 33 states made a strong case against the social media company.”
“’Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,’ the complaint from the 33 states says. ‘It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.’”
“The broader lawsuit alleges that the company is exploiting young people’s vulnerabilities by developing algorithms intended to keep users on the platform as long as possible, even compulsively; creating visual filters it knows can contribute to body dysmorphia; and present content in an ‘infinite scroll’ format that makes it hard for children to disengage.”
“In a state, Meta said it shares ‘the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families,’ including regular reminders encouraging teens to take breaks from platforms like Instagram.”
“But the company added that it is ‘disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path.’”
…
“Educators should cheer the states’ legal action, said Jim Steyer, the founder of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that focuses on the impact of technology on youth.”
“’The majority of attorneys general in the United States might be taking a stand against Meta’s harmful and addictive design practices,’ Steyer said in an interview. ‘But teachers and principals and district leaders deal with the consequences of that all day, every day.’”
“Any financial gain to states stemming from the lawsuits should be spent on investing ‘far more resources’ into schools and mental health services, he said.”
…
“A little more than half of U.S. teenagers – 51 percent – report spending at least four hours a day on social media apps, including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter), according to a recent Gallup survey of more than 1,500 adolescents. That amount to 4.8 hours per day for the average teen across the seven social media platforms examined in the survey, the company reported.”
“Steyer argues that Meta is the ‘biggest offender’ when it comes to ignoring evidence of its platforms’ impact on youth mental health. But he believes the sweeping legal action will put other companies on notice.”
“’This is a warning shot across the bow,’ Steyer said.”
“Thousands of pages of documents released in 2021 by a whistleblower show Meta conducted extensive research on the negative impact of its platform on children’s mental health and the spread of false information, but failed to act on any of those findings.”
“The company ignored those findings, Frances Haugen, the whistleblower, a former Facebook product manager, said in testifying before Congress in October of that year.”
“’Facebook understands that if they want to continue to grow, they have to find new users, they have to make sure that that next generation is just as engaged on Instagram as the current one,’ Haugen said. ‘And the way they’ll do that is by making sure that children establish habits before they have good self-regulation…It’s just like cigarettes. [Teenagers] say they feel bad when they use Instagram but can’t stop.’”
“What’s more, in May, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that social media poses serious potential risk to children’s mental health.”
“’We do not have enough evidence to conclude that social media is sufficiently safe for our kids,’ Murthy said in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post. ‘In fact, there is increasing evidence that social media use during adolescence – a critical stage of brain development – is associated with harm to mental health and well-being.’”
I get the safety concern for our children. But I can’t help but think the reason institutions like school districts and state attorney general offices are taking action against social media is that we adults haven’t taken the time to teach our young learners how to use platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and others productively.
When the world found out the evils of cigarette smoking, we initiated a very successful educational campaign that changed the habits of the country – young people included. But when state legislatures and school boards were presented with the opportunity to launch media literacy classes for our young learners, most balked and kept the school curriculum the same.
These states that filed suit might be successful with this case, but I think the writing is on the wall –
We either begin to teach our young learners how to use social media for their benefit, or we need to get ready to experience the fallout.
Because social media isn’t going away.
Ever.
I’ll be away until Halloween. SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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