Providence Sues Facebook, Instagram and Others - Allege Tech Companies Harmed Kids' Mental Health
GoLocalProv News Team and News Editor Kate Nagle
Providence Sues Facebook, Instagram and Others - Allege Tech Companies Harmed Kids' Mental Health
The 66-page complaint filed was in federal court on Friday by the law offices of Lynch and Pine, with former Rhode Island AGs Patrick Lynch and Jeffrey Pine as the lead attorneys.
The city claims that the tech companies are responsible for the “astounding number of adolescents [who] have begun to suffer from poor mental health and behavioral disorders” within the city.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The City of Providence has been directly harmed by the mental health crisis among youth in its community and schools, which has been caused by Defendants,” allege Lynch and Pine in the suit.
“Plaintiff’s community and schools have been directly impacted by the mental health crisis among youth and have been tasked with addressing the surge in mental, emotional, and social issues among this population," the former AGs continue. "Plaintiff’s young residents and students confront mental health issues now more than ever before due to their excessive social media usage.”
Lynch and Pine allege the social media companies are a “public nuisance” and “negligent” in their claims for relief, and are seeking “compensatory and punitive damages sustained by [the City of Providence]."
They are also requesting a trial by jury.
The list of defendants includes "META PLATFORMS, INC., FACEBOOK HOLDINGS, LLC, FACEBOOK OPERATIONS, LLC, META PAYMENTS INC., META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, INSTAGRAM, LLC, SICULUS, INC., SNAP INC., TIKTOK INC., TIKTOK LTD., TIKTOK LLC, BYTEDANCE INC., BYTEDANCE LTD., ALPHABET INC., XXVI HOLDINGS INC., GOOGLE LLC, and YOUTUBE, LLC."
Former AGs Make Case
“According to research, 90% of children ages 13-17 use social media. Even younger children also regularly use social media, with studies showing 38% of children ages 8-12 use social media, 49% of children ages 10-12 use social media, and 32% of children ages 7-9 use social media,” Lynch and Pine allege in the lawsuit. “As a means of increasing revenue as much as possible, Defendants deliberately design and operate their platforms to maximize users’ screen time. Defendants accomplish this by building features intended to exploit human psychology, using complex algorithms driven by advanced artificial intelligence and machine-learning systems.”
Lynch and Pine go on to cite the influence of the defendant tech companies on children’s mental health as why the companies need to pay damages to help the city’s beleaguered school system.
“That is why Plaintiff’s schools, as part of their mission, and like many schools in the country, provide mental health services to its students. Plaintiff needs more funding to meet the ever-growing needs of youth facing this mental health crisis. Plaintiff requires funding to develop a long-term plan to deal with the mental health crisis and address the record rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and the other tragic byproducts caused by Defendants,” they continue.
“Plaintiff also needs Defendants to be held responsible for their continued use of algorithms, social media features, and policies that target minors and that Defendants know are a driving force behind the current mental health crisis for minors in Plaintiff’s community and public school system, and for Defendants to cease targeting youths for profit,” allege Lynch and Pine.