Federal lawsuit aims to protect kids from Social media
By Jeffery M. Leving SM
Despite several attempts at passing legislation to protect kids on social media, I fear lawmakers have not been able to get much of anything passed.
Now, 33 states have banded together with the same objective — protecting kids — and are suing Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. The federal lawsuit, filed October 25, alleges that Meta’s products have harmed minors and contributed to a mental health crisis in the United States.
Facebook and other social media companies have taken some action in the past to try and restrict usage by minors, but I see their attempts at self-policing appear to be little more than public relations campaigns rather than anything to really protect children.
Legislators in several states and at the federal level have also tried to pass laws aimed at protecting kids online, but several of those actions have either not passed or have done little to stem the dangers to kids that social media presents.
The federal lawsuit, filed in California, appears to seek court orders prohibiting Meta from violating the law by knowingly pushing an “addictive” product on kids and in the case of many states, is seeking unspecified financial penalties be levied against the company.
It seems to me that impacting the balance sheets of these companies may be the only way to get Meta and other social media companies to change their methods. We know that social media can bring us closer together and help us communicate and learn about what!s going on in the lives of people we care about. But for kids, unchecked usage can have a negative impact.
I fear there are children are suffering more and more from eating disorders, depression and bullying as a result of too much time spent online.
Additionally, some kids have gone to social media to find drugs, have gotten bamboozled into sexual relationships with adults, or have discussed disturbing plans to shoot up a school. The alarm has been going off for some time and lawmakers are starting to notice.
Even the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy weighed in, saying in a CNN interview in January that he believes 13-year-olds are too young to join social media and being on those platforms does a “disservice” to children.
Many social media companies claim to not allow kids under 13 on their platforms, and instead rely on self-reporting methods, which can be easily bypassed by children. In response to the federal lawsuit, Meta put out a statement saying, “we’re 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.”
Despite what Meta said in its statement, I wonder if the company either knew or should have known for some time that their products are or may be dangerous to children. After all, much of the attention on the harmful effects of social media was sparked by the whistleblower and former Facebook employee, Frances Haugen, who testified before a Senate subcommittee back in 2021.
Haugen reportedly leaked internal research showing that the company knew about Instagram’s negative impact on some teens. Additionally, the internal research provided by Haugen reportedly found that 13.5% of teen girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts and 17% of teen girls say that Instagram contributes to their eating disorders.
Haugen’s testimony led to a flurry of activity — some lawsuits as well as some attempts by various lawmakers across the country to institute tougher regulations to how these companies interact with children.
It also led to the social media companies themselves instituting some self-policing. However, it should be of no surprise that the industry, like most others that attempts to self-police, could be coming up short. As for the lawmakers, there have been some laws that have made an impact but nothing will have the power of the federal lawsuit filed at the end of October.
Meta is one of the richest, most powerful and influential companies on the planet, and it seems the only language it may truly understand, like many corporations, is through its pocketbook. This lawsuit, if successful, will hit them where it truly hurts and may also force them to do more to protect kids. I’m rooting for it to succeed.
It hopefully will save many of our children from the potential harms of social media.
Attorney Jeffery M. Leving is the recipient of President Biden’s 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. Leving, who has dedicated his career to safeguarding children and reuniting them with their fathers, has written three acclaimed books: “Fathers’ Rights,” “Divorce Wars” and “How to be a Good Divorced Dad,” the latter of which was praised by President Obama and by Cardinal Francis E. George, then the Archbishop of Chicago. Follow Jeffery M. Leving on Facebook and X @DadsRights.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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