- It is estimated that at least 3.4 billion people around the world frequently use social networks.
- A new lawsuit against TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat claims that they promote anxiety, depression, eating disorders and cyberbullying among children and adolescents.
- In addition to greater regulation, financial compensation is also requested to finance public programs.
The form of communication and interaction between people has seen an evolution over the years. One of the culprits is technology because it has made it possible to eliminate physical distances in order to remain permanently connected. For the same, the Social networks are used by millions of people around the planet, although they are also accused of causing damage to mental health.
In its simplest definition it is a social structure composed of a set of actors and one or more ties or defined relationships between them. Although to adapt to the new times, now everything is done remotely.
Currently, social networks represent one of the major paradigms of contemporary sociology and organizational behavior. Its online creation has resulted in complex networks, which are the object of study of science.
To understand its impact, according to The Global State of Digitalproduced by Hootsuite and We Are Social, It is estimated that 3.4 billion people around the world frequently use social networks. The figure represents almost half of the population of the entire planet.
Among the reasons that have led people to adopt this form of communication is its ease and simplicity. Now everything is just a click away, and it’s the best way to keep in touch with other people or search for a specific topic.
Although not everything is positive because there are also some aspects that are criticized in this form of interaction. The most recent was a lawsuit filed by the Seattle Public School District against various social networks for their negative impact on youth mental health.
In accordance with Los Angeles Timeson January 6 this legal appeal was filed against TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat. Social networks are directly blamed for the deterioration in mental health and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents.
Trending: Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others, seeking compensation for youth mental health crisis https://t.co/GeboU0bSPn
—GeekWire (@geekwire) January 8, 2023
Among the problems that it is claimed that they promote is the anxiety, depression, eating disorders and cyber bullying. It is also mentioned that they complicate the work of educating students.
As a consequence of the above, schools have had to hire more mental health professionals to provide support to students. In addition, new curricula on the effects of social networks have had to be created and additional training provided to teaching staff.
In addition to the above, it is stated that between 2009 and 2019 there was an average increase of 30% in the number of students in the Seattle Public School District who reported feeling sad or hopeless.
With this in mind, the court is asked to order the companies to stop creating a public nuisance and award compensation to Seattle schools. In addition, the payment of economic compensation is required to finance public programs on preventive education and treatment for excessive and problematic use of social networks.
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