A Big Social-Media Shakedown

The plaintiff bar says media platforms are liable for adolescent ills

WSJ editorial. Excerpts:

"The first problem with these cases is that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act says internet platforms can’t be held liable for user-generated content."

"it’s extremely difficult to prove that social media caused any individual’s troubles given the complex interplay among personal experience, personality and online exposure. For instance, the plaintiff in the current case was exposed to domestic abuse in her home as a young child, which may have made her more vulnerable to content on the platforms." 

"Individuals with compulsive personalities are at higher risk for mental illness, and they may also be more likely to become addicted to social media. Studies also find that parenting style is a crucial mediator in the relationship between social-media use and mental health. Such confounding and mediating factors undermine the plaintiffs’ claims of causation."

"the relationship between time that teens spend on their platforms and mental illness is weak."

"“U-shaped association” between after-school social-media usage and emotional well-being among Australian adolescents."

"Young adolescents who used social media the most were three times as likely to score as having lower well-being than moderate users. However, older teens who didn’t use social media were 80% more likely to have low scores."

"Photos of friends looking happy may cause a girl to feel depressed. Platforms would also become liable for social bullying, which they can’t control."