Board documents allege that Facebook, TikTok, and similar platforms are impacting children, contributing to a mental health crisis among the youth.
Palm Beach County School Board to file lawsuit against major social media companies (Photo: Youtube)
Palm Beach County School Board Takes Legal Action Against Social Media Giants for Targeting Children
The Palm Beach County School Board consented to sue Meta, Facebook Holdings, Instagram, TikTok, Google, and YouTube. The charges claim that these social media platforms target children and build items to lure and addict them, causing mental health crises, body image difficulties, and school harm from challenges and pranks. The board will only pay attorney’s fees if they win or settle.
Social media risks, especially for adolescents, are a major worry. The July Florida legislation prohibits TikTok and curbs other social media usage on school district systems. Parents like Tracey Rosario tout TikTok’s hypnotizing impact on their kids and back the school district’s position.
Rosario thinks schools and parents must work together to solve these problems.
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July Discussions and Mental Health Professional’s Insights on Social Media Impact
School board members reviewed this case in July, highlighting the potential to shift funding, especially to mental health, if successful. Stephanie De La Cruz, a professional mental health counselor, says her clients struggle with cyberbullying, anxiety, and low self-esteem due to social media. Negative self-talk and issues with self-esteem can result from the comparison culture that social media likes and followers foster.
The school district’s law firm won a dispute against JUUL. The district earned approximately $30 million from the JUUL case, showing how legal action against huge firms may solve social concerns.
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