IG’s Impact on Youth Mental Health Leads to Multiple Lawsuits Vs Meta
According to a report by Reuters, Meta Platforms, including Instagram, is facing lawsuits from multiple US states. These suits accuse the company of contributing to a youth mental health crisis by promoting addiction through its social media platforms. Attorneys general from 33 states, including California and New York, claim that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, knowingly concealed the potential harms of its platforms while luring young users into compulsive social media use for financial gain.
Meta’s interest in attracting younger consumers is driven by the potential for more advertisers seeking to establish brand loyalty from an early age. However, research links the use of Meta’s social media platforms by children to negative outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, and disruptions in daily life.
Meta expressed disappointment regarding the lawsuits and suggested industry collaboration to establish age-appropriate standards for apps used by teenagers. Eight additional U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have also filed similar lawsuits against Meta, bringing the total to 42 states taking action against the company.
These legal actions are part of a broader trend targeting social media companies on behalf of children and teenagers, including TikTok and YouTube. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, has previously defended the company’s approach to managing content perceived as harmful.
The lawsuits could result in substantial civil penalties for Meta, ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 per violation of various state laws, given the widespread use of Instagram by young users.
The focus on Meta’s actions comes from a whistleblower’s release of documents in 2021, revealing the company’s awareness of Instagram’s addictive nature and its negative impact on teen girls’ body image.
These lawsuits are seen as addressing the gaps left by Congress’s inability to pass new online protections for children. Colorado’s Attorney General stressed the need to address mental and physical health issues driven by social media platforms.
Research backs claims of depression-socmed link
A national survey conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health reveals that using multiple social media platforms is more strongly associated with depression and anxiety in young adults than the total amount of time spent on social media. The study found that individuals who use seven to eleven social media platforms have over three times the risk of depression and anxiety compared to those who use no more than two platforms, even after accounting for total social media usage time. While the study couldn’t establish whether depression and anxiety led to the use of multiple platforms or vice versa, the results suggest a strong connection, prompting clinicians to consider inquiring about multi-platform use in patients with these conditions and providing counseling as needed.
The study, which surveyed young adults aged 19 to 32, involved 1,787 participants and assessed their social media use by considering 11 of the most popular platforms at the time. Participants using seven to eleven platforms had 3.1 times higher odds of reporting elevated depressive symptoms, while those using the most platforms had 3.3 times higher odds of experiencing high anxiety symptoms, even after controlling for other contributing factors. The study proposes various hypotheses for the relationship between multi-platform social media use and depression and anxiety, including the negative effects of multitasking, the challenges of navigating distinct platform-specific norms, and an increased likelihood of social missteps leading to embarrassment. The researchers emphasize the need for further research to better understand this relationship and design personalized public health interventions.
Sources:
Reuters
University of Pittsburgh
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