Social media addicts sue ‘technology giants’ in the US

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Lawsuits in the US attempt to demonstrate that four of the largest social media companies knowingly expose children to harmful products and content. Taylor Little says she came into contact with sensitive content at the age of 11, without receiving any prior warning BBC Hundreds of families are suing some of the biggest technology companies in the world — which, they say, knowingly expose children to harmful content and products. One of the people responsible for the action explains why they are trying to challenge the power of Silicon Valley. “I was literally trapped by addiction at age 12. And I didn’t get my life back throughout my teenage years.” Taylor Little developed an addiction to social media that led to suicide attempts and years of depression. Little, who is now 21 and uses the neutral pronoun “they” (direct translation of they/them in the original English), describes technology companies as “big, bad monsters.” These companies, according to Little, knowingly place highly addictive and harmful products into the hands of children with internet access. That’s why Little and hundreds of other American families are suing four of the biggest technology companies in the world. SOCIAL MEDIA: Mother denounces use of her daughter’s photo as a meme Harmful since the project The lawsuit against Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram — in addition to TikTok, Google and Snap Inc. (owner of Snapchat), is one of the biggest already moved in Silicon Valley. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include ordinary families and school districts from across the United States. They claim that the platforms are intentionally harmful. Can anyone who posts memes with photos of third parties be sued? Understand what the law says Family lawyers believe that the case of 14-year-old British teenager Molly Russell serves as an example of the potential harm faced by teenagers related to the use of social media. Last year, lawyers followed the investigation into Russell’s death via video conference from Washington, looking for any evidence they could use in the lawsuit filed in the United States. Russell’s name is mentioned dozens of times in the lawsuit filed in court in California. Last week, the families involved in the case received a powerful boost when a federal judge ruled that the companies could not use the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which protects free speech — to block the lawsuit. Molly Russell had access to large amounts of material about self-harm, suicide and depression on social media Russell family via BBC Judge Gonzalez Rogers also ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which states that platforms are not publishers, did not allow companies full protection. The judge considered that, for example, the lack of “robust” verification of users’ ages and weak parental controls, as families argue, are not issues of freedom of expression. Lawyers for the families called Rogers’ decisions a “significant victory.” The companies say the allegations are not true and that they intend to vigorously defend themselves. VIDEO: The first ‘flying car’ tests in New York ‘Feeling of withdrawal’ Little, who lives in Colorado, says that before she had her first smartphone, she played sports and took part in dance and theater classes. “If they took away my cell phone, it was like going through withdrawal. It was unbearable. Literally, when I say it was addictive, I don’t mean it was just a habit. I mean my body and mind craved it.” Little remembers the first social media notification she clicked on. It was someone’s personal self-harm page, with sensitive images of injuries and cuts. “When I was 11 years old, I accessed a page and saw this without warning. I didn’t look for this topic. I’m 21 years old and I can still see [aquelas imagens].” Little also struggled with content related to body image and eating disorders. “It was — and is — like a cult. You’re constantly bombarded with photographs of a body you can’t reach without dying.” “There’s no way around it.” How to report posts on Instagram, TikTok and Kwai and other social networks Lawyers for Little and the other plaintiffs have adopted an innovative approach to the process, focusing on how platforms are conceived and designed — not just individual posts, comments or images. Meta released a statement saying: “Our thoughts are with the families represented in these complaints. We want to reassure every parent that we have their best interests at heart in the work we’re doing to provide safe and supportive online experiences for teens.” TikTok declined to comment on the lawsuit. Google said: “The allegations in these complaints are simply not true . Protecting children across all platforms has always been fundamental to our work.” Snapchat said its platform “was designed to eliminate the pressure to be perfect.” “We screen all content before it can reach a large audience to prevent propagation of anything that could be harmful”, stated the company. R$ 24 thousand salary: the IT career that should boom in 2024 WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Alessandro Feitosa Jr/g1 Little knows well the story of Molly Russell, who lived in northwest London and took her own life after being exposed to negative and depressing content on Instagram. An investigation into the girl’s death concluded that she died “suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content.” . Little says the stories are very similar. “I feel incredibly lucky to have survived. And my heart breaks in ways I can’t express for people like Molly.” “I’m happy. I really love my life. I’m in a place I didn’t think I’d live in.” This leaves Little with determination to pursue legal action. “They know we’re dying. And they don’t care. They make money off our deaths.” “Any hope I have for better social media depends entirely on us winning [a ação] and force them to do [as mudanças] — because they will never, ever, ever choose to do it on their own.” READ ALSO: Google will delete inactive accounts; here’s how to not lose access Why wood is considered the future of construction ‘I lost R$1,728 to an extra income scam ‘: understand the risk of small tasks on your cell phone

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