Montgomery County school district sues Big Tech over youth mental … – Washington Times

Montgomery County Public Schools, Marylands largest school district, is suing big tech companies in federal court, joining hundreds of other school systems in a legal battle over youth mental health, accusing the social media companies of profiting from vulnerable children, causing them to be depressed, commit violence or harm themselves.

James Frantz of Frantz Law Group is filing on behalf of dozens of districts anticipating that within the next month there will be more than 1,000 school districts involved in the litigation from at least 35 states.

The cases are being consolidated in the Northern District of California under Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, an Obama appointee. The litigation aims to hold big tech liable for using algorithms that target youth, which the lawsuit says are intentionally and deliberately designed to exploit and cause minors to become addicted, which has caused the harm.

It is a travesty what has happened and these social media companies wont take it upon themselves to regulate themselves, Mr. Frantz told The Washington Times.

The 107-page complaint filed Wednesday on behalf of Montgomery County Public Schools, which has more than 160,000 students, charges that Meta; Instagram; Snap Inc.; TikTok; Bytedance; Alphabet; Google; YouTube and WhatsApp should be held accountable under federal law for negligence and conspiracy to cause minors harm.

It also charges that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields internet companies from legal liability for content posted by third parties, shouldnt be an escape from accountability for the tech giants because the companies know of the harm and do not censor the damaging content.

Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of minors, causing millions of students across the United States, including in plaintiffs district, to become addicted to and excessively using defendants social media platforms. Furthermore, the content defendants direct to minors is many times harmful and [exploitative] (e.g., instigating vandalism, eating disorders, or encouraging self-harm), the lawsuit stated.

Defendants misconduct is a substantial factor resulting in a youth mental health crisis, which has been marked by increasingly higher proportions of minors struggling with anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation.

The Supreme Court had two cases this term challenging the liability of tech companies including an opportunity to chip away at Section 230 but the court left the protections intact for now.

Lawsuits from school districts against the tech companies began earlier this year and have been piling up, so the federal cases are being consolidated under one judge.

A spokesperson from Meta, the named plaintiff in the Montgomery County case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among other products.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said in a Facebook post in 2021 that his company doesnt push content on users to induce a response.

The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical, he wrote at the time.

A report this year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that teen girls are experiencing increased sadness and violence.

In 2021, 16% of high school students were electronically bullied, including through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media, during the past year. Female students were more likely than male students to be electronically bullied, the report read.

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Montgomery County school district sues Big Tech over youth mental ... - Washington Times