Multiple sites are reporting that the public school district in Seattle, Washington, is suing a few of the more infamous technology giants over the negative effect they have on the mental health of its students.
- Plaintiff:
- Seattle School District No 1
- Defendant:
- Meta Platforms, Inc., Facebook Holdings, LLC, Facebook Operations, LLC, Meta Payments Inc., Facebook Technologies, LLC, Instagram, LLC, Siculus, Inc., Snap Inc., TikTok Inc., ByteDance Inc., Alphabet Inc., Google LLC, XXVI Holdings Inc. and YouTube, LLC
- Case Number:
- 2:2023cv00032
- Filed:
- January 6, 2023
- Court:
- US District Court for the Western District of Washington
- Nature of Suit:
- Torts to Land
- Cause of Action:
- 28 U.S.C. § 1332 Diversity
- Jury Demanded By:
- Plaintiff
Covered at:
- Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others, seeking compensation for youth mental health crisis. GeekWire
- Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm. The Independent
- Seattle Schools Sue Tech Giants Over Social .... US News
- Seattle's schools are suing tech giants for harming young people's mental health. NPR
- Seattle Schools sues social media firms over youth mental health crisis. The Columbian
- Seattle Schools sues social media firms over youth mental health crisis . The Seattle Times
- Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm. ABC News
- Seattle Public Schools sues social media giants for youth mental health crisis . Cascadia Daily News
ByteDance and its service TikTok have been covered a lot here at SN though mostly only from the privacy problems it presents, rather than its harms to health.
The actual court docket is blocked behind PACER's paywall. However, Justia Dockets and Filings has a brief summary of the plaintiff and defendants.
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Seattle's Schools are Suing Tech Giants for Harming Young People's Mental Health
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(Score: 0, Flamebait) by canopic jug on Tuesday January 10, @04:51PM (12 children)
A more accurate heading would be Seattle's Schools are Suing Some of the Tech Giants for Harming Young People's Mental Health. One of the largest stressors for all age groups, and a major regional political presence there in Washington state, Microsoft (aka M$, MSFT, Microshaft, Billysoft, Micro$oft, Microsludge, The Seattle Mafia, The Beast in Redmond, etc) seems to have evaded being named in this case, so far.
Also the focus seems to be on mental health though these "services" have been instrumental in many injuries, maimings, and deaths. So physical health should be addressed as well not just mental health.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @05:32PM (4 children)
While I love a good MSFT bashing at pretty much any time of day and any season of the year, and given that MSFT has not been a force for good in this world, in this specific case, it's about the mental health aspects of Social Media. Microsoft is not a player in that field and is therefore not part of this lawsuit. It's got fuck all to do with Seattle having such a massive MSFT presence. I'll also remind you that FB & GOOG both also have a large footprint in the wider Seattle area (Kirkland, Bellevue, etc...).
You may be right to be paranoid, but you're veering off into crazy land here... Your wild insinuations are nothing but that.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @07:05PM
I agree with all your points, but you overlook: even though MSFT doesn't compete in the social media space, all those social media players compete with Microsoft in multiple other spaces.
Yes, it's a targeted lawsuit, aimed just off the side of the MSFT flank.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 4, Funny) by DannyB on Tuesday January 10, @09:07PM (2 children)
What about mental health problems caused by using Microsoft products?
Windows. Office. Outlook.
I shouldn't even be mentioning PowerPoint. PowerPoint was originally developed as a less expensive way to euthanize cattle. After a number of successful lawsuits by the ASPCA, the practice was declared inhumane and had to be ended immediately.
Looking for a new market, Microsoft discovered that Power Point could be used for corporate presentations. This is why corporate meeting rooms always have the doors locked from the outside. It is a weeding out process. Those who survive the presentation are able to continue their corporate work and get promoted into management.
<no-sarcasm>
Of course, you could use open source products to preserve your mental health. Avoid social media.
</no-sarcasm>
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @09:40PM
That'd be a different lawsuit, innit?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @10:29PM
Or sharepoint, too.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kazzie on Tuesday January 10, @06:05PM (1 child)
Your attention was drawn to the companies that aren't listed. Myself, I was struck by the number of separate companies that I'd have thought of as one entity. I count at least half a dozen that are Meta or subsiduaries, and a fair number of Alphabet/Google ones too.
Is it really neccessary to sue both the parent company and several subsiduaries, just to make sure they can't wriggle out of it?
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday January 10, @06:50PM
I guess they can be charged with an assortment of crimes [youtu.be]. Get your popcorn (and popper, and seasonings) ready. Eh, they'll probably settle.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @07:03PM (3 children)
You know, in the greater scheme of things, Microsoft is more culpable for creating unnecessary and undue mental stress in adults (Start me up! ... you make a grown man cryyyyyy.), not so much children.
But, as precedents go, Looney Tunes, Gilligan's Island, and the television delivery system really were way ahead of the trend in terms of non-Fred Rodgers' style childrens' programming.
Shouldn't we have been suing Madison Avenue for making our kids coocoo for Cocoa Puffs?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Tuesday January 10, @09:11PM (2 children)
While that may be true, you cannot ignore the educational value that the golden age of television bestowed upon us. At least two generations became informed how Keebler cookies are superior because they are not made in a factory. They're baked by little elves in a hollow tree.
Let's ask Mr. Owl. He knows everything!
Honeycomb's big, yeah, yeah, yeah! It's not small, no, no, no!
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @09:31PM
>Let's ask Mr. Owl.
Three licks, what else is there to know?
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 4, Informative) by fliptop on Tuesday January 10, @09:31PM
Three licks?
To be oneself, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity
(Score: 2) by helel on Tuesday January 10, @08:50PM
Headline should read Schools are Suing Social Media Giants. Microsoft, apple, and amazon may have social components to their software ecosystems but they are a far from the giants in that sector. Teens aren't getting tips on how to engage in self harm from apples "email algorithm" or amazon reviews. They are getting them from, well, everyone on the defendant list.
Republican Patriotism [youtube.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @05:03PM (7 children)
At some point, we have to recognize that institutions and corporations are giant insects that feed on humans. They herd us like pigs in a mechanized factory farm, controlling the way we look (smart casual) and behave (professional), awarding trinkets and trophies to the pigs that adopt their reptilian mannerisms and exploit the other pigs. Stop expecting institutions to do right by you - they won't. They want to suck your brains out, and your kids' brains, while you glom onto the feed trough. Hail our unblinking overlords.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @07:15PM (4 children)
I like me some good overblown imagery anytime it fits, but... it's really simpler than all that.
Institutions and corporations thrive on power the kind of power that comes from the control of people. Many many twisted practices evolve in the seeking of that power, attempts to deny power to competitors, etc. but at the end of it all: they just want your labor, attention, support, and obedience most often by proxy via exchange of money that you and they control.
There are powerful people in this world, many individuals more powerful than some rather large-ish institutions and corporations, but there are no individuals anywhere near as powerful as the largest institutions and corporations.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @10:06PM
Well, except for the people who control those institutions and corporations. And remember, "he who can be fired is not the final Boss".
(Score: 0, Disagree) by khallow on Wednesday January 11, @02:06AM
Keep in mind that the biggest power tripper in this story is the school district itself which is engaging in one hell of a frivolous lawsuit. As I noted elsewhere, I doubt they'll be able to distinguish mental harm caused by the school district itself from that of any plaintiffs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11, @04:34AM (1 child)
Well, yes. That is the point.
We are no longer in charge. A superspecies has emerged that controls our lives - farms us like pigs - smarter, stronger,... immortal. It's just like those far-out sci-fi writers predicted - not physical but on a different plane. And as the higher intelligences fight battles overhead the humans live out our lives like mules turning the water wheel, given just enough corn feed to get up and do our labor, then go to bed.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday January 11, @04:20PM
Cyberpunk is now.
(Score: 5, Funny) by krishnoid on Tuesday January 10, @07:40PM (1 child)
So, extrapolating, you're saying they're:
If they can be all of those things, hey, maybe they deserve a little of our attention. At the very least, we're pretty outclassed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11, @10:53PM
For sure, and more. Many of us are essentially zombified caterpillars climbing to the top of a blade of grass to spew fungal spores, infecting other caterpillars. The raging ecosystem of superintelligences - hierarchies, laws, ideologies - play out in the human psyche, which they exist in as higher life forms just as we meatbags roam around in the oxygen waste of plants. The best adapted superintelligence will order our societies, as we order the physical world, to its advantage with manicured psyches and pristine egos, subject to the HOA regulations.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday January 10, @05:04PM (8 children)
Not sure, if it's coming from the right place. Yet, at the same time, who should it come from?
Social Media as it stands has been using every trick in the book to suck users into their system. That includes systems designed like gambling systems. Gambling systems are highly regulated in the USA and I believe most of the world. Saying, yeah, but the user doesn't actually have a chance of winning like in gambling. Doesn't make the system(s) any less exploitative. And that's what those systems are, highly exploitative systems. Some, specifically targeting children. These kinds of systems are also invading games, anyone ever heard of loot boxes?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by RS3 on Tuesday January 10, @06:57PM
I see many parallels with, adding to your comments on gambling: tobacco, alcohol, toys, Happy Meals, candy, and whatever else people crave a bit more than they should for their own good.
I've shied away from most "social media" for many reasons- the main one being personal privacy (lack thereof).
But one of many reasons is seeing how people are sucked into it by some kind of evil force. When there are so many automobile and pedestrian accidents because people have to look at their phones, rather than the road, cars, pedestrians, and traffic signals, it gives me pause.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @07:09PM
Tap tap tap... we're like rats pressing on the lever for another hit of dopamine. And our obese, diabetic bodies crave brightly colored sugar snacks... more coke, more snickers... why is there a health epidemic, I need my meds? Tap tap tap...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @07:20PM (4 children)
>anyone ever heard of loot boxes?
Yeah, generally speaking when I encounter loot boxes in a game I find it a huge turn off and tend to lose interest rather quickly.
One exception being Blizzard's Hearthstone - that one sucked me in for maybe a year, it was fun as far as it went, but in the end the pay-for-winning aspect became too strong for me.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 11, @02:49PM (2 children)
I've played Gwent for a long time, kind of an off and on sort of thing. I gave Hearthstone a try and immediately ran into the pay-2-win feeling. Gwent has similar issues, but you can and I have easily beaten "OP" cards in Gwent, with stuff everyone gets. Whereas with Hearthstone, I was constantly running into scenarios where there was literally no way of beating them, if I had starter cards and they had just this one card. There's even an achievement in Gwent for winning a match without using "gold cards", I.E. cards that generally help you more than "bronze/silver" cards. Still, I did pay for one starter pack, because I played it a bunch and figured I would get more benefit at the start with an influx of cards. No way would I want my kid let loose on that platform, though. As they sell the "barrels" / card packs as well as cosmetic stuff. It's generally my, steam-buddies not wanting to play/not available game. When I've gotten tired of Terraria, Space Engineers, 7 Days to Die, Stardew Valley, and Avorion. I've also come to the realization that Deep Rock Galactic is super fun with at least 1 friend, otherwise your entire game experience is highly dependent on 3 random people. Perhaps I was just unlucky the last session or two I played. Or perhaps the player base has grown very large and includes a lot more COD players.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 11, @05:16PM (1 child)
StarCraft free online was a whole different level of playing than playing with friends - they refined the gameplay to some absurd levels with tricks specific to the free online maps, no cheats (in the free map, beware any and all custom maps), just thousands of hours invested refining the gameplay to a point that: if you don't know their tricks, you're going down.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 11, @10:04PM
Yeah, I learned real quick that multiplayer RTS games are highly competitive. You either have a super good strategy and it's just down to timing or you get steam rolled. Still, I had a blast playing Age of Empires 2 with my family back in the day.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 11, @02:55PM
I played a good bit of Overwatch with a friend, who has since become not a friend due to his bad relationship choices. (Dude seriously disowned most of his friends and family, for a very self righteous girl. In all of the bad ways that can be taken.) I sent him a few e-mails about loot boxes in general. Ones that I believe had been posted here and/or on Arstechnica. Generally shining light on the horrible practices of loot boxes in games. Now, as far as I know, he doesn't game and I don't play Overwatch.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday January 11, @12:26AM
Which way to take this? Should people, including children, get wiser to the manipulations? Or should the manipulators be restrained more?
I'd love for everyone to be savvy about the manipulations. It would make life much easier if hardly anyone fell for the crap. I think we are very slowly improving on this. But there are so many lies, such a variety, and the most successful ones are extremely cunning and subtle. Not only play the suckers among us like fiddles, but often fool very smart and educated people. For example, couple years ago there was an article on a left leaning media site that said a manufacturer of some vital equipment for COVID sufferers who needed breathing tubes had run out and was refusing to share the diagrams and specs. The plan was to 3D print the items, but it was being stymied by the lack of good data. I believed it. Too many stories of corporations being heartless greedy scum who screw over everyone, customers and employees alike. The story, it turned out, wasn't true, or so I am given to believe. It's possible that the company was withholding that info, but when the story started going viral, they quickly changed course, released the info, and said that actually, they were never withholding it in the first place, no, no, no! Another possibility is that they were being accused of withholding it before anyone had even asked for it, thus informing them that there was a need.
Some lies are all but impossible to discern as such. Think it'd be wiser to curb those as much as is practical. Can't expect everyone to be detectives all the time.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Tuesday January 10, @05:40PM (20 children)
Why aren't parents doing something about their offspring's internet usage? Surely their mental health issues are visible to caring parents well before schools can detect them. And I refuse to believe a majority of parents have simply dropped the ball and let their children without any form of supervision.
Side question #1: if it's so hard to curtail a kid's exposure to the tech giants' bad juju, why don't parents sue the tech giants? Why do school feel they have to step in and do the parents' job?
Side question #2: if the parents aren't doing the necessary parenting to such an extent that the school feel they have to do it, why don't social services get involved?
I'm all for blaming tech giants in most cases. But here, it sounds like the kids aren't raised properly.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @05:57PM (1 child)
> Why aren't parents doing something about their offspring's internet usage?
My answer: The parents can't see it because they are also sucked into social media by the same cleverly designed dopamine-hits.
Other answers??
(ps, SN is as close to "social media" as I get -- no accounts at FB, LinkedIn, etc.)
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday January 10, @07:12PM
I am shocked, shocked [youtu.be] at these allegations! Well, maybe not *that* shocked [theverge.com].
(Score: 2) by aafcac on Tuesday January 10, @06:57PM (3 children)
I'm curious how the school district has standing in this when they aren't the parents or the kids. The schools have a limited set of responsibilities and rights when it comes to making decisions about what's best for the kids. It's why they can ban the use of phones during classes, but not off campus.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday January 10, @07:20PM
Good point, I was wondering the same thing.
It seems the "blame game" is getting stronger and stronger and becoming the norm in society. Not defending nor excusing it, but it seems that schools, including colleges and universities, are being held responsible for problems that they have no control over, and would probably be sued if they did try to exert control.
I can see where social media is generally disruptive to the learning process, so that may be where schools have some legal standing.
I'm purely guessing, but I wonder if the schools' lawyers see more dollars in suing the wealthy social media companies, rather than the parents who maybe are the ones who should somehow teach their children and try to regulate their children's behavior.
I worry that all this stuff is leading society toward more identifying and tracking everyone everywhere always...
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday January 10, @09:17PM
Nevertheless, they are expected to do their part to detect troubled kids and provide services to help them,. Something they have to do a lot more of if the kids are being screwed up by social media.
(Score: 2) by fliptop on Tuesday January 10, @09:35PM
Where I live, schools provide breakfast, lunch, and babysitting after school. Sounds like they're encroaching on the parenting job to me.
To be oneself, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity
(Score: 3, Interesting) by krishnoid on Tuesday January 10, @06:58PM
I tried to find the quote about "keeping you monsters off the streets," but this Simpsons bit involving the ubiquity of devices in class [youtu.be] is still apropos, and more timely.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Tuesday January 10, @07:05PM
Lawyers cost money, suits cost time. Two things many parents find themselves short on.
Parents only see a sample size of 1-3 in general. The school sees much larger sample sizes so they can be more sure of what effects can be attributed to social media.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 10, @07:15PM
The school suing the tech companies seems like a ego thing.
The school should just stop using those products. Parents effectively hire the school to rear and train their children; the primary responsiblity of the school is to do right by the parents. Suing the tech companies reeks of the vanity of school administrators wanting to see their name in lights. Back down - look after the kids, reassure the parents that your head is in the right place.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @07:33PM (6 children)
>why don't parents sue the tech giants?
You ever play with the legal system? Asking parents to volunteer for duty in the brutal soul crushing world of legal wrangling vs massive multinational corporations is disingenuous, at best. It would take a coalition of parents probably hundreds strong, many of them being early-retired lawyers in the right fields of legal work providing their services for free up front, just to muster the resources necessary to realistically take on one of the bigger names on that list. Where in our society do you find that many parents grouped together as a collective entity, other than schools? Are you asking the churches of America to set precedent by pursuing legal action? I believe there's actually laws preventing that.
>here, it sounds like the kids aren't raised properly.
And what are your suggestions for better parenting? Abstinence? Have your kids completely banned from access to internet connected technology at home and school? Maybe instead of that you'd rather be a "co-driver" of your kids' internet activity like in Drivers' Ed, have a window on your own screen where you see what your kid does on the internet 24-7, with your own "brake pedal" to cut them off from unacceptable activity? Anything along either of those lines seems to be the opposite of "properly raising" children to look out for themselves.
Meanwhile, we've got the equivalent of Las Vegas 2.0 hitting every dopamine dispenser they can reach via screen, sound and swipe interface out there competing for eyeball attention time. And which eyeballs do you think are the most impressionable, trainable, and vulnerable?
Should we go look up Joe the Camel and invite him back to help hawk nicotine vape tubes while we are at it?
I like me some free-ish markets, but with no regulations whatsoever we're going to end up with lots of people like Louis Gridley Wu in Ringworld - before he kicked the wirehead habit.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday January 10, @07:43PM (3 children)
Congress [abajournal.com]? Well, they don't do it for free, and they don't group together as a collective entity, so ... nowhere, I guess.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @08:25PM (2 children)
You know, I actually view this:
>Lawyers once dominated Congress, but they are being “squeezed out” today by those who have made politics a career, according to a new research paper.
as good news. Anyone operating at the level of national politics, representing 750,000 constituents or more, should have a staff, and that staff should include good lawyers, and those lawyers should be on a short leash when it comes to writing laws, not the top dogs calling the shots.
Unfortunately, those who have made politics a career are almost always even less savory characters than lawyers... Can we get 24-7 chase drone footage of everything these public servants do? Transcripts of all oral communication, video of all face to face meetings, and full copies of every e-mail and video conference they or their staff conduct? I'm not suggesting this for individuals, just those people who are supposed to be serving the interests of 100,000 or more people...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11, @05:14PM (1 child)
(psssst lawyers are people too)
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 12, @02:24AM
Yes, lawyers are people. Legislators write laws. 200 years of lawyers as legislators has clearly demonstrated why that is a worse idea than letting the foxes not only guard the hen houses but also administer the staff and expansion plans for the hen houses too.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday January 11, @03:08PM (1 child)
Depending on the age of the child, you should at worst, be "co-driver" to their internet activity. At best, maybe, literally not even allow them on the internet at all. Highly dependent on the age of the child. Seriously, if you think Netflix/Amazon/YouTube(HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHahahahahahahahaahahaha!!!) should be "safe spaces", you don't even know the first thing about the internet and especially, corporations. Amazon has no "kids mode" per se, Netflix has its' own issues with content, and YouTube is more of the wild west of video sharing than anything.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 11, @05:23PM
Depends on the age, depends on the child. My 13 year old was wandering into some "show me more" sites when he was missing his school girl crush... I explained to him that you don't browse those sites when other people can see, especially your mother, but really anyone. He's 19 now, and I haven't seen him on similar websites since forever, and we've never had a single complaint from school, camps, etc. I'd much rather deal with him that way than the way my IT friend handled his kid: with IP range blocks in the home router, etc. If it becomes a control/denial thing, they're just going to seek (and find) access when they are beyond your control... nothing new about the internet with this and kids, really.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday January 10, @09:14PM (1 child)
Remember the uproar when China said kids could only have 3 hours of video games per week?
Can you imagine the outrage if American parents were to try to enforce any restrictions on video games, phones, and social media?
Now which country's kids grow up more educated?
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11, @05:16PM
So, how many Chinese kids do you know? Ass clown.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Wednesday January 11, @12:40AM
Only a few parents have the money for a lawsuit against a big tech company.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday January 11, @01:58AM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Tuesday January 10, @07:40PM (2 children)
Not only are they suing Facebook, but Snapchat, TikTok, Google, and YouTube, too?
Seems like they're begging to be buried in lawyers. And without investigating further, I'm assuming this is basically an "emotional damages" offense that will be very nebulously-defined?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 10, @09:02PM (1 child)
I think, if it's not a grandstanding move with a planned early exit before accomplishing much of anything besides "drawing attention", that their hope is to isolate the practices that target impressionable young minds and get some kind of industry self-regulation going in exchange for an out of court settlement that could save those tech giants billions in legal fees, if lots of people hop on board supporting the school district to keep the suits rolling...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11, @05:18PM
Someone is lining up a run for Mayor, is my guess, or potentially Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at a premier educational/apartment rental outfit.
(Score: 2, Troll) by ChrisMaple on Wednesday January 11, @12:28AM
1. The tech giants should be suing the schools for corrupting the minds of children with modern ideologies, instead of preparing them to be contributing members of society capable of being hired by these companies.
2. The contents of social media are what the users provide. The users are doing the damage to themselves. Parents and schools should be teaching children to protect themselves.
(Score: 2, Informative) by psa on Wednesday January 11, @08:55PM
Here's the complaint itself:
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.317950/gov.uscourts.wawd.317950.1.0.pdf [courtlistener.com]