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Last month, the first trial in a lawsuit filed against Big Tech corporations for alleged harm caused to youth by social media began in California state court. The case was brought by a 19-year-old claiming that Meta, Google (YouTube), Snapchat, and TikTok deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive to youth. TikTok and Snapchat settled out of court before jury selection began—a jury that has since heard testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This trial serves as an early test that will have implications for legal strategy and potential settlements in the more than 2000 similar lawsuits brought by state attorneys general, school districts, local governments, Tribes, and families.
Meanwhile, our national coalition continues to rally advocates to direct potential money from these lawsuits toward positive youth development programs. As journalist Manoush Zomorodi—host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour—points out in her recent newsletter, giving kids healthy alternatives to devices will take coordination and funding and she cites our coalition’s work in supporting that effort. To build on our current momentum, this spring we will launch a new website dedicated to the coalition to provide a central hub for its work. Be sure to join our coalition to receive the latest updates and news about the new site.
On March 10, our Founder and CEO Elizabeth Gaines will join CEOs from our coalition partners at SXSW EDU for a panel exploring how out-of-school time activities can counter the risks and negative impact of social media on young minds and lives. We welcome all of those in Austin, TX, to join us!
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