Detroit Today: Legal case aims to protect young people from social media harms

Last month, Dexter Community Schools became one of several school districts in Michigan to join a lawsuit against social media companies in federal court. It accuses the platforms of playing a detrimental role in the mental health of children.

The suit is just one of several efforts around the country, seeking to strengthen guardrails around social media access for kids. In Utah, for example, legislators recently placed time restrictions on social media use for users under 18-years-old.

There is evidence linking phone use and social media to social isolation, depression and potential suicide in young people. But as social media becomes an even more regular part of society, can efforts like these make an impact how we interact with these platforms?

Listen: Should we restrict young people’s access to social media?

Guests

Jacob DiMartino is the founder and CEO at RAADR. He says child suicide rates surrounding social media continue to increase.

“If you look at the statistics,” says DiMartino, “kids are dying from ridiculous challenges everyday, so how can we stop this?”

William Shinoff is an attorney at Frantz Law Group. His firm represents Dexter Community Schools — one of several plaintiffs in a lawsuit against numerous social media companies.

Shinoff says social media use in kids has been found to cause problems with their mental health.

“The United States Surgeon General just two months ago said that children under 13 should not be using social media because of how harmful it is to their mental health,” says Shinoff.