Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Seattle public schools sue social media platforms for youth 'mental health crisis'

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I was in a discussion this week on the same sort of issue in other areas. In the current case, the Seattle lawsuit "accuses companies behind TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube of harming young people€™s mental health." Perhaps these companies are liable (though certainly a similar case can be made about television in the case of previous generations; look at the damage wrought by an inescapable addition to things like Fox News). But more to the point - why should schools and educators be the ones to have to take legal action here? They have neither the experience nor the background to manage for these issues. Isn't it the proper role of government to protect people, including especially young people, from harm? That's what we see in Ireland, as Facebook was assessed a fine of 265 million Euros for publishing personal details of users online.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 3:56 p.m.

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