Pittsburgh Public Schools to sue Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok (Washington: attorneys, buy)

[gg]

I actually am liking this and the attorneys are doing it for a percentage, so there is no cost to the district. Hope they win because those companies are pure evil in every way.

https://www.wesa.fm/education/2023-0...l-health-needs

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by gg

I actually am liking this and the attorneys are doing it for a percentage, so there is no cost to the district. Hope they win because those companies are pure evil in every way.

https://www.wesa.fm/education/2023-0...l-health-needs

no, they are not pure evil in every way. people are just sheep.

i heard about this today and immediately scoffed. it is the american way - dont take control of your life, or responsibility...no, just sue someone. money makes it all better.

i wondered what kind of statement the prosecutors would come up with. from that WESA link, there doesnt seem to be any meat to this (my emphasis in parts below):

The Seattle district alleges the companies’ conduct constitutes a public nuisance under Washington law. It defines nuisance as “whatever is injurious to health or indecent or offensive to the sense, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to essentially interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of the life and property.”

That lawsuit claims that as the school district provides mental health services for students, it needs “a comprehensive, long-term plan and funding to drive a sustained reduction in the record rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and other tragic indices of the mental health crisis its youth are experiencing at [the social media companies’] hands.”

sounds to me like a lawsuit that is just....ridiculous. you VOLUNTARILY use those platforms. a young person can engage in a way that is no different than stirring drama in a school culture where you can get the same backlash, retaliation, or bullying.

i just dont buy this...as always, i admit i am on the outside looking in and welcome an opposing view.
but seeing that this is coming from a public school district, i dont give it a lot of strength, since their mission anymore seems less putting out smart, educated kids (compared to western european standards) rather than being a day-time govt. run babysitting/athletics club, and at least hope they finish 12th grade.

i rarely peruse facebook...literally 10 minutes a week anymore. but my facebook feed and interaction is what i choose it to be...and of course i hold back because im not going to be a pig online with foul language or whatnot.

[erieguy]

^^^^
Bingo…nobody’s forcing anyone to use these platforms.

[Copanut]

What a crock.

[gg]

I get what you are all saying, but these CEO's of these companies need to be reeled in. There are age limits on movies, driving, drinking and much much more. Need to get with the times and have limits on social media as well. Can't just be a free for all. It clearly isn't working especially in certain communities that are filled with violence by young kids.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

...

sounds to me like a lawsuit that is just....ridiculous. you VOLUNTARILY use those platforms. a young person can engage their peers at school in the same way as online that might stir drama and create conflict, backlash, retaliation, or bullying that is damaging to a mentally weaker student.

so...should they eliminate recess after lunch? i mean, the potential is more THERE for the mental anguish since there is no escape from bullies and mean kids. one HAS to be among the riff-raff on the playground.

im an idiot - a part of my prev. post is re-written above for clarity...

[Higherho]

With some of the logic I am reading, we should allow anything if it’s voluntary. No one is forcing people to do drugs, so let’s legalize everything and have no punishments. Let’s see where that takes us. Individuals need to understand just because something is “voluntary” does not mean it isn’t dangerous or can cause big problems overall. Not just with mental health (teen sucied rates have been through the roof the past decade since social platforms released) but also with privacy, data issues, etc. I support this suing, the industry (FB and the rest) need to take the burden of the issues their products create. We do this with many other industries because we scientifically study them to understand and improve our society.

To also assume that everyone on earth might have the same will power, resistance, issues, or behave the same way you do, is simply arrogant and narrow minded.

[erieguy]

Originally Posted by Higherho

With some of the logic I am reading, we should allow anything if it’s voluntary. No one is forcing people to do drugs, so let’s legalize everything and have no punishments. Let’s see where that takes us. Individuals need to understand just because something is “voluntary” does not mean it isn’t dangerous or can cause big problems overall. Not just with mental health (teen sucied rates have been through the roof the past decade since social platforms released) but also with privacy, data issues, etc. I support this suing, the industry (FB and the rest) need to take the burden of the issues their products create. We do this with many other industries because we scientifically study them to understand and improve our society.

To also assume that everyone on earth might have the same will power, resistance, issues, or behave the same way you do, is simply arrogant and narrow minded.

Nobody is forcing anyone to do drugs, but love the strawman argument. Don’t want these sites being watched, restrict them. So simple to do. It’s funny how folks blame others for their self inflicted problems.

Willpower, resistance, issues, etc…, is easy, as folks do it everyday.

[Higherho]

If you truly believe that external constructs cannot influence and change behavior, force people to do things, etc. Then I don’t know how to explain that point further if that basic fact isn’t realized. It is foolish to think that everything going on around you, does not have some impact on your life, how you do things, etc. I was not making a straw-man but trying to show you the point of external factors in society and how it impacts individuals without them “Volunteering” to do something. Especially with kids ( Their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed until 25). if you think “just turn it off” works, then here is an example with social media,

Individuals (teens let’s say) going to school and others using said systems but they don’t realize they are getting cyber bullied, made fun of online, attacked, etc. All the time, everywhere. This is much worse than getting bullied by one person or a small group of people at recess in a controlled environment. That individual, will eventually find out what is going on and this will impact their life without the need of that individual being on any social media platform. This is a serious and real thing. You going to force everyone in society to turn off your phone? That’s not realistic at all.


If these issues were not “real” or can be solved by the individual only, we would not need laws. If we cannot hold the people who create these environment accountable, then you’re missing the root cause. It’s narrow minded to think that all your problems are individual and voluntary without any external factors that are the cause and pressure. This is just with social media, this happens across many other factors (jobs, class base structures, racism, sexism, etc).

[erieguy]

Originally Posted by Higherho

If you truly believe that external constructs cannot influence and change behavior, force people to do things, etc. Then I don’t know how to explain that point further if that basic fact isn’t realized. It is foolish to think that everything going on around you, does not have some impact on your life, how you do things, etc. I was not making a straw-man but trying to show you the point of external factors in society and how it impacts individuals without them “Volunteering” to do something. Especially with kids ( Their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed until 25), it’s different with adults if you think “just turn it off” works. Here is an example with social media,

Individuals (teens let’s say) going to school and others using said systems but they don’t realize they are getting cyber bullied, made fun of online, attacked, etc. All the time, everywhere. This is much worse than getting bullied by one person or a small group of people at recess in a controlled environment. That individual, will eventually find out what is going on and this will impact their life without the need of that individual being on any social media platform. This is a serious and real thing. You going to force everyone in society to turn off your phone? That’s not realistic at all.


If these issues were not “real” or can be solved by the individual only, we would not need laws. If we cannot hold the people who create these environment accountable, then you’re missing the root cause. It’s narrow minded to think that all your problems are individual and voluntary without any external factors that are the cause and pressure. This is just with social media, this happens across many other factors (jobs, class base structures, racism, sexism, etc).

Nobody is forcing anyone to subscribe to these sites. Folks make their own decisions and when they make poor ones they suffer the consequences. I don’t subscribe to any of those sites and it’s easy to do.

It’s hilarious how folks want so many things banned. If one is too weak to have willpower, that’s on them, not anyone else. It goes to show how weak folks are to be so susceptible to such nonsense.