Faculties sue social networks, declare they “exploit neurophysiology” of youngsters’ brains

Enlarge (credit score: Getty Pictures | Elva Etienne)

A lawsuit filed by Seattle Public Faculties alleges that social media is likely one of the primary causes of “a youth psychological well being disaster” and blames social media corporations for “exploit[ing] the neurophysiology” of youngsters’ brains. Arguing that social media corporations are violating the state public nuisance legislation, the lawsuit seeks monetary damages and different cures from the homeowners of Fb, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

“Defendants have efficiently exploited the weak brains of youth, hooking tens of hundreds of thousands of scholars throughout the nation into optimistic suggestions loops of extreme use and abuse of Defendants’ social media platforms,” the lawsuit mentioned. “Worse, the content material Defendants curate and direct to youth is simply too typically dangerous and exploitive (e.g., selling a ‘corpse bride’ weight loss plan, consuming 300 energy a day, or encouraging self-harm).”

The criticism was filed Thursday in US District Courtroom for the Western District of Washington.