reaction. The lawsuit alleges that certain media companies are responsible for an unprecedented rise in mental health crises among young people. The Anne Arundel County School District lawsuit alleges that Instagram’s tower cam, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube have changed the way children think, feel and behave. These social media companies claim that they repeatedly present their preferences to young users, ultimately making them addicted to their apps. We want these social media companies to respect our children and treat them the way they should be treated, not as profit centers. So we want them to change their algorithms and change their platforms so that we don’t have any problems in the future. META, which owns Facebook, was the only company to provide comment on the lawsuit. Meta’s spokesperson has written reports from the CDC and others, pointing to growing academic pressure. Concerns about school safety, the lingering effects of the pandemic, and limited access to mental health care are key factors. We want to work with schools and academic experts to better understand these issues and how social media can provide support to teens in times of need. Many say parents could do a better job of policing social media use. I think parents should be the people shaping their children, not society or the government. None of that. Parents just need to pay attention to what their children are doing. Yeah, just don’t have a place for them, just keep in touch with them. The lawsuit cites data from various sources showing that one-third of 13- to 17-year-olds report using social media apps almost constantly. Suicide rates have increased by 57% and will be hard to reduce. Emergency department visits due to anxiety increased by 117% and 40% in high schools. Students express deep-seated feelings of sadness and despair. I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done. I mean, now that social media is such a part of our modern age, I don’t know if there’s any real way to stop it or change it. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, also seeks an opportunity to recoup funding lost by the district’s diversion of funds and resources to address students’ mental health issues.report inside
Anne Arundel County Public Schools sues social media company
Lawsuit claims social media has changed the way young people think, feel and act
The Anne Arundel County Public School System is suing four major social media companies for rewriting the way young people think, feel and behave. The district is the eighth school system in Maryland to pursue a social media company in a lawsuit accusing Meta and Google. , Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok are creating an unprecedented mental health crisis among young people. PDF: Read the lawsuit The lawsuit alleges that the companies are learning the preferences of young users and repeatedly exposing them to risks. “Children are spending too much time on their phones as a result of the addictive nature of these algorithms and platforms,” āāsaid Phil Frederico. , the school system’s attorney. “While the content is certainly at fault, it is these platforms and algorithms that are actually keeping children on their phones and repeatedly disrupting their school time,” the lawsuit says. , data from various sources are cited, indicating that the third act took place. From the age of 13 to the age of 17, young people say they use social media apps almost all the time and have a hard time cutting back on their usage. According to data in the lawsuit, suicide rates have increased by 57%, emergency room visits due to anxiety have increased by 117%, and high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness have increased by 40%. “We think about how they should be treated, not as profit centers. So we want them to change their algorithms, we want them to change their platforms, we want them to change their platforms so we don’t have problems in the future.” ,ā Frederico said. “I think it’s not society, it’s not the government, it’s not any of those things, it’s the parents who should be holding the responsibility for their children,” said parent Pam Smith. (Story continues after video) | RELATED: Carroll County to join class action lawsuit against social media companies “Just pay attention to what your kids are doing, know where they are, and stay in touch.” said Anne Arundel County resident Tanya White. “I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done. I mean, I don’t know if there’s any real way to stop it or change it now that social media has become part of the modern era,” says Anne Clarence.ć»Joseph said. Lives in Arundel County. WBAL-TV 11 News has contacted all social media companies named in the lawsuit. Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, sent a statement to 11 News, saying in part: “Reports (from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others) demonstrate increased academic pressure, “The pandemic and limited access to mental health care are key factors. We are working with schools and academic professionals to address these concerns. “We want to better understand the issue and how social media can provide support to teens in their time of need,” a Snapchat representative sent a statement to 11 News. After the report aired, it said: “Snapchat is designed differently than other social media platforms because nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our community. Our app opens directly to the camera, rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling.” We’re not an app that encourages perfection or popularity, and we want all content to be screened before it reaches a large audience. Help us vet and prevent potentially harmful content from being promoted or discovered. We always have so much work to do, but Snapchat is helping our friends feel connected, informed, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence. I am satisfied with the role I play. ā The lawsuit, filed in federal court, also seeks an opportunity to recoup funding lost as the school district diverted funds and resources to address students’ mental health issues.
The Anne Arundel County Public School System is suing four major social media companies for rewriting the way young people think, feel and behave.
The district becomes the eighth Maryland school to pursue lawsuits against Meta, Google, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok, accusing them of creating an unprecedented mental health crisis among young people. .
| PDF: Read the lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that the companies are learning the preferences of young users and repeatedly exposing them to risks.
“Because of the addictive nature of these algorithms and platforms, kids are spending too much time on their phones,” said Phil Frederico, an attorney for the school system. āYes, the content is problematic, but the reality is that these platforms and algorithms are what keep students on their phones and repeatedly disrupt their school time.ā
The lawsuit cites data from various sources showing that one-third of 13- to 17-year-olds use social media apps almost constantly and report having difficulty cutting back on their usage. ing. According to data in the lawsuit, suicide rates have increased by 57%, emergency department visits due to anxiety have increased by 117%, and high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness have increased by 40%.
“We want companies to respect our children and treat them the way they should be treated, not as profit centers. So we want them to use algorithms to make sure we don’t get into trouble. “We’d like them to change the platform and change the platform in the future,” Frederico said.
Some said parents should have more control over social media use.
Parent Pam Smith said, “I think it’s the parents who should be the ones to put the blame on their children, not society or the government.” (Story continues after video)
| related: Carroll County to join class action lawsuit against social media companies
“You just have to pay attention to what your kids are doing and know where they are and keep in touch with them,” Anne Arundel County resident Tanya White said.
“I don’t know if there’s anything that can be done. I mean, I don’t know if there’s any real way to stop it or change it now that social media is such a part of the modern era. ” said Clarence Joseph. A resident of Anne Arundel County.
WBAL-TV 11 News has reached out to all social media companies named in the lawsuit. Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, sent a statement to 11 News, saying in part: “Reports (from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others) demonstrate the increasing pressures on academics, It points to concerns about safety in schools and lingering effects on schools.ā
After this report aired, a Snapchat representative sent a statement to 11 News, saying, “Snapchat was designed differently than other social media platforms, because nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our community. “Our app doesn’t access the camera directly; it opens it directly.” It’s primarily used to help actual friends communicate, rather than a feed of content that encourages passive scrolling. We are not an app that encourages perfection or popularity, and we vet all content before it reaches a large audience. This helps protect against promotions. “We always have more work to do, but we want our friends to stay connected, informed, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.” We love the role Snapchat plays in helping us feel included.ā
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, also seeks an opportunity to recoup funding lost by the district’s diversion of funds and resources to address students’ mental health issues.