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Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
41–50 of 166 posts
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
How does "power of attorney" have any relevance here? The argument is simply that the school district has suffered damages from specific behavior by the social media companies, that has nothing to with an ability to make decisions on the student's behalf.
>How does “power of attorney” have any relevance here? It doesn’t and that’s Earl’s point. That would be the best way for them to have any standing, but it just doesn’t line up.
It wasn't, actually. I made that comment before I read the complaint. The statutory basis of their complaint is that Facebook constitutes some specie of nuisance, hence my later comment that even if we took their factual assertions at face value the charge asserted should be void for vagueness.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#43So far, two comments saying this is grandstanding by the school board. If you replace social media with drugs and high schoolers with homeless people, wouldn't it be more typical for people to be saying that elected officials aren't doing ANYTHING! What's the difference? I have read enough to know that these social media companies are employing behavioral scientists that are attempting to make their products addictiv…
I think it would be a bit odd to see a school district suing drug dealers. Seeing as weed is legal in Seattle, could/should the Seattle public schools sue local [state-]legal weed stores for selling product that will inevitably find their way into the hands of teenagers? I suppose they could, but it would be surprising to see. This said, I have a special hatred for TikTok so I wish the Seattle schools good luck in th…
I think if there were evidence of targeting children with advertising, deliberately locating near schools or other intent, then yes, you could see a lawsuit.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
The lawsuit is going to be dismissed due to lack of standing.
.. it’s been a clearly focused project for over 4 years now. A colleague is on the board..A bevy of mental health experts are core to this - so due diligence. I don’t know the layout of the legal team, but was told they have put this thru the ringer - the goal has always been a legal precedent, then actual legislation, then adoption by other entities as well. The Portland School District has a parallel lawsuit as wel…
Is there a specific law that these firms are supposed to have violated? (Does there need to be? I am not a lawyer.)
Does the school district have standing to sue on behalf of the students? (Is the injury that they pay more for mental health services for students?)
I’m genuinely curious. There’s a surface analogy to the cases against opioid manufacturers and distributors, but those are controlled substances whereas YouTube is clearly not.
There isn’t even a clear causal effect of the from YouTube -> depression, IMO. Research on this has been quite low quality.
And what about the role of the parents who are the owners of the phones on which their children run TikTok?
Again genuine curiosity here, not trying to be a jerk.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#45[deleted]
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Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
.. it’s been a clearly focused project for over 4 years now. A colleague is on the board..A bevy of mental health experts are core to this - so due diligence. I don’t know the layout of the legal team, but was told they have put this thru the ringer - the goal has always been a legal precedent, then actual legislation, then adoption by other entities as well. The Portland School District has a parallel lawsuit as wel…
Is there a specific law that these firms are supposed to have violated? (Does there need to be? I am not a lawyer.) Does the school district have standing to sue on behalf of the students? (Is the injury that they pay more for mental health services for students?) I’m genuinely curious. There’s a surface analogy to the cases against opioid manufacturers and distributors, but those are controlled substances whereas Yo…
.. I appended above and addressed what you are asking.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
No grandstanding in my opinion. Social media is a very dangerous and addictive drug that is difficult to police. It should be heavily regulated as it's destroying society.
> Social media is a very dangerous and addictive drug that is difficult to police. It should be heavily regulated as it's destroying society. 100% agree, but > No grandstanding It's definitely grandstanding. Even though they're right about social media, it's definitely grandstanding. A cause being just doesn't mean people aren't grandstanding about it. This is grandstanding because it's a public stunt that is very un…
.. you've much to learn on the tenaciousness of a highly focused legal team - which is core to this lawsuit.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#48Lots of comments about this being the wrong group of people to initiate this. Others playing the “is it really the same thing” card.
I find myself torn. They are often sound/reasoned arguments. But I also struggle because the state of play isn’t right either. Social media engagement is now one of the leading causes cited in divorces. My wife and I of nearly 30 years have to battle this ourselves. Something seems clearly wrong with our surveillance economy, yet we struggle to come up with sound reasoned diagnoses and remedies. I guess that’s why it persists.
So I end up both thinking this suit is “silly” and at the same time cheering them on because continued optimization along this evolving status quo vector just seems so obviously wrong.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#49(Honest question, I don't understand how the law applies globally to the internet)
Given that TikTock is Chinese, what happens if they lose a court case in the US? How can anyone force them to pay up or change their ways?
I assume the only outcome is either "pay up" or be banned in that jurisdiction? (Assuming they lose)
I can't help thinking this is like the all the three letter US agencies trying to force US law onto countries like Sweden for The Pirate Bay.
Re: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram over youth mental health
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
They have standing because its a statutory tort and because and to the extent thar they allege the kind of action and injury that the statute makes compensable. You seem to be imaging the kind of analysis done for a suit that is not based on a statute providing liability, but on a conflict of laws trying to negate or enjoin a government action for violating a controlling law that does not provide a explicit right of…
Their alleged standing is predicated on a single count of violating the Washington Public Nuisance Law, RCW 7.48.010 (see page 86 of their complaint[1])[2]. So their torturous logic is that somehow not only are the defendants' services addictive, but that the addiction thereof spurs students to engage in violent and/or disruptive behaviors that interferes with the enjoyment of school property and the safety of its em…
I think you are confused about what "standing" means, it is the "legal capicity to sue". It generally means being directly harmed in a manner that the court can redress with a favorable decision.
So it is quite possible that the court will say SPS has standing but decide against them because of the vagueness of the public nuisance law.