Seattle Public School Sues Tech Giants for Students' Worsening Mental Health Conditions

A public school district is blaming tech giants for social media harm placed on students, which seriously affects their mental health.

The Seattle public school district filed a lawsuit Friday with the U.S. District Court against Big Tech companies - Alphabet Inc., owner of Google; Meta Platforms Inc., owner of Facebook and Instagram; and ByteDance, owner of Snapchat and TikTok, for allegedly being responsible for the "worsening mental health crisis" among their students, which are significantly affecting its schools' ability to implement their educational mission, Reuters reported.

Further, the complainants stated that these companies "purposefully" created and designed for young people to be addicted to their products. Thus, their actions have been a significant factor in the increase in teens' mental health crises.

First step to reversing the trend

"Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants' social media platforms," the lawsuit stated, and all these are done for their profit, allegedly.

Seattle Public Schools superintendent, Brent Jones, issued a statement over the weekend expressing their confidence and high hopes in the lawsuit that he describes as the "first step toward reversing" the negative trend that these social media has created not only on their students but also on the children of Washington state and the entire country, as Geek Wire shared.

The complaint further explained how schools are pushed to take necessary steps to handle and treat students performing at their worst because of mental health problems. The complaint said that schools needed to train teachers to identify and address mental health challenges and their symptoms, hire trained personnel, and create additional resources so that children can be warned against the dangers of social media.

The lawsuit is seeking compensation for monetary damages and other penalties.

Big Tech responses

In response to the lawsuit, Meta emailed Reuters, stating that they have crafted over 30 tools to support and help teens and their families and will continue to work closely with parents, policymakers, and experts.

Conversely, Google expressed that its platform has invested seriously in creating and promoting safe experiences for kids and teens alike. Parents know it has introduced "strong protections and dedicated features" that prioritize their children's well-being.

Snap also expressed that the well-being of the community is its top priority. They partner with mental health organizations to create in-app tools and resources for their users.

In an interview of The Wall Street Journal with Jonathan Haight, a New York University psychologist, entitled "The 'National Crisis' of Gen Z," he addressed the current state of today's younger generation and proclaimed that Americans born after 1995 reflect an "extraordinary high rates" of fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide and self-harm, all rooted in and caused by social media and a "victimhood" culture.