Recently social media companies have come under scrutiny for harm resulting from use of their platforms, leading to a potential class action lawsuit investigation. In order to certify a case as a class action, there has to exist a large number of individuals who have experienced similar harm due to same cause. The evidence is mounting that countless people are experiencing similar problems as a result of social media use. But what exactly is the harm?
Today’s Social Media Prevalence
Social media has been around for only about 20 years, but it is estimated that there are now about 4.76 billion users of social media worldwide. Children growing up today haven’t known a world without social media. It is accepted by them as a necessary and indispensable part of life. More than 40% of children under the age of 13 say they use social media regularly. The average daily screen time for these pre-teens is 5½ hours. For teenagers it’s even higher — an average of 8 hours a day. With the popularity of TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, teens are spending the majority of this time on social media, which means their exposure to social media is almost constant. This extreme preoccupation can be likened to addiction, and if you’re the parent of a pre-teen or teen and have witnessed the meltdown when you tried to take away their phone, you probably agree.
The Brain’s Response to Social Media
While there can be benefits to social media use, there are also obvious concerns about such heavy social media use for this age group — exposure to explicit content, vulnerability to online predators, and online bullying are just some of the risks. Studies have suggested that mental health disorders and dissatisfaction rise in direct relation to the amount of time spent on social media. We do know that teens, especially girls, tend to buy into the inauthentic images curated by social media influencers and can develop body dysmorphia. They judge their own bodies and lives against the unrealistic ideal they see online every day and find themselves lacking. This, coupled with the lack of social interaction brought on by pandemic restrictions in the past two years, has also led to an alarming increase in depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm or suicide attempts.
Human brains are hard wired to need interaction with other people, and social media gives us a counterfeit feeling of having connected with others. With the click of a button, a social media user can communicate with people anywhere in the world, or post content that is viewable half the globe away and get the instant validation of “likes.” This positive feedback in the form of “likes” becomes another unrealistic measure by which young users judge how well they are doing. Being so visible online also exposes youth to online trolls and bullying from people who would probably never act that way in person. This can be especially damaging to youth, who are by nature highly sensitive to their peers’ opinions of them.
How Social Media Harm Can Be Addressed
Social media companies are raking in billions of dollars from the use of their platforms, in large part due to younger users. They have designed their algorithms to purposely draw users in and get them hooked. These companies are fully aware of the under-aged users on their platforms and have no protective measures in place to shield those children from the dangers of their product. There is no protection from cyber-bullying or the exposure to explicit content, and too many young people have suffered because of their time spent on social media. These powerful, unimaginably wealthy companies and the people who operate them need to be held accountable for the harm they have caused young people. It’s time changes are made to protect youth, and the reality is that sometimes changes of this magnitude only happen as a result of legal action.
At Siri & Glimstad, we have an experienced team of attorneys waiting to evaluate your circumstances and determine whether you have a case. If your child has experienced any physical or mental health conditions that you suspect arose from social media use, and they have had to visit a doctor for those conditions, you may have a case. You will, however, need a strong legal team behind you to stand up to these powerful companies with their practically limitless resources. It’s important to keep in mind that the statute of limitations sets a deadline for your time frame for filing a lawsuit.
Contact us today! We’d love to hear from you. Email us at newintakes@sirillp.com.