this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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66
More than a dozen states in the US have sued TikTok, accusing the social media platform of helping to drive a mental health crisis among teenagers (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 year ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
36 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

A bipartisan group of 14 attorneys general from across the country allege that the company uses addictive features to hook children to the app and that it has intentionally misled the public about the safety of prolonged use.

[...]

New York Attorney General Letitia James said young people across the country had died or been injured doing TikTok "challenges" and many others were feeling "more sad, anxious and depressed because of TikTok's addictive features".

She cited a 15-year-old boy, who died in Manhattan while “subway surfing” - riding on top of a moving subway car. His mother later found TikTok videos of such activity on his phone, she said.

[...]

Regulators have launched similar cases against Facebook and Instagram for their impact on young people's mental health.

[...]

The Federal Trade Commission, a government watchdog, accused TikTok in August of violating child privacy laws.

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[–] rainynight65@feddit.org 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Teenagers today were born in the aftermath of a global financial crisis, are seeing war after war after war, grow up with the knowledge that the world is going to shit and the older generations aren't willing to do anything about it. They see everyone pull up the ladder behind them, the 'fuck you I got mine' mentality is everywhere.

And TikTok is to blame for their mental health?

Specific to subway surfing: I'm 46, and I know this stuff happened when I was a kid. There were no social media back then to show you, but somehow kids still these got stupid ideas. It seems like social media is just the new video games are the new comic books are the new heavy metal is the new whatever scapegoat society wants to use to blame for its own deliberate shortcomings in bringing up the next generation.

[–] ranandtoldthat@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

The effect (purpose?) of moral panics is to maintain the status quo, scapegoating age old problems as new because there's a new aspect.

Anyone focusing on social media or phones as the main problem kids and teens are facing today is part of the problem, whether or not it's intentional.

[–] state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

True, but social media amplifies the dumb shit and creates new incentives and pressures to join the idiot herd. And while TikTok is definitely not the only problem, it is a problem.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

We're not talking about social media. We're talking about TikTok. Huge difference. People don't complain about IG because it's heavily censored by zios/imperialists.

[–] SattaRIP@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think the guns and the trickle up economy are far worse. But this isn't actually about mental health, but banning media that shows a non western narrative.

[–] Steve 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Is that why Meta is also being sued over the negative mental health effects of Facebook and Instagram?
They too are promoting a non-western narrative?

[–] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The opposite, actually. I do agree that the "ban unless sold" situation with tiktok stems from lack of control over the narrative due to the crackdowns we are seeing on college protests.

https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/12/21/metas-broken-promises/systemic-censorship-palestine-content-instagram-and

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@SoupBrick

And why is TikTok (and all other non-Chinese social media) banned in China then? Non-Western.narraties? Palestine? Other reasons?

[–] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

My friend, do you think China does not benefit from the destabilization caused by putting the USA's blatant support of the ongoing genocide in Gaza on display for all the world to see? Does China have USA's best interest at heart, no. Is this platform allowing the continued growth of Pro-Palestine support, yes.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why is TikTok banned in China, my friend?

[–] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Censorship, what does that have to do with the current conversation of the United States attempts at censorship of the Pro-Palestine narrative?

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

@SoupBrick

So banning social media platforms for censorship is okay, but if you do the same for protecting children's mental health it is not? Isn't that weird?

[–] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ah, a troll gotcha. Nowhere did I say China was good. That is just a bad faith take. I was hoping you were actually trying to learn. Don't bother responding, you are blocked.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

@SoupBrick@yiffit.net

Nowhere did I say China was good. That is just a bad faith take. I was hoping you were actually trying to learn. Don't bother responding, you are blocked.

It is a 'bad faith take' if one thinks that 'China is good'? Is that right?

[–] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

Car dependency has created a world that forces children to live online since they can't do anything outside without their parents driving them around. So I just don't see how banning TikTok does anything to address the root problem. Banning Tiktok does nothing to solve the root issue of lacking 3rd places and community.

[–] homicidalrobot@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Because they have Douyin.

[–] SattaRIP@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're not trying to ban them though. And fines are nothing to a multibillion dollar company.

[–] Steve 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The federal ban is for ByteDance not TickTok.
And that's unrelated to the states filing this law suit.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

banning media that shows a non western narrative.

Which media show a non-Western narrative? TikTok? Facebook? Instagram?

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The cable news networks are losing their chokehold on media. Young people can see the truth that the government and the media are lying about daily

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is this the reason then why TikTok is already banned in China, TikTok's parent company's home country? Because media there is lying?

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

Yay for china banning stuff! \s

[–] homicidalrobot@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Because they have Douyin.

[–] yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Young people see news influencers on social media which are even less trustworthy than traditional news outlets.

It's the "I did my own research" of news.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

TBH the news that I get from social media is usually first-hand accounts and footage. It's far superior to the extremely filtered and propagandized disinformation coming from capitalist media outlets.

I think any child could recognize the difference and that's why media outlets want to ban the competition. This won't make kids happier.

[–] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 14 points 1 year ago

The TikTok ban used to be about trying to squash pro-Palestine sentiments and media. I guess this works too.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/israel-palestine-hawley-tiktok-war-hamas-ban-josh-rcna124013

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/business/tiktok-accusations-anti-israel-content.html

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/lawmakers-tiktok-ban-pro-palestinian-content-1235016101/

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago

They want to hold social media companies liable for allowing their user base to call for an end to genocide in Palestine.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

TikTok’s ‘blackout’ challenge linked to deaths of 20 children in 18 months, report says - (December 2022)

TikTok faces lawsuit over ‘blackout challenge’ death of 10-year-old girl -- (August 2024)

Blackout challenge -- (Wikipedia)

The blackout challenge is an internet challenge based around the choking game, which deprives the brain of oxygen.[1] It gained widespread attention on TikTok in 2021, primarily among children.[2] It has been compared to other online challenges and hoaxes that have exclusively targeted a young audience.[3] It has been linked to the deaths of at least twenty children.

There is much more on that across the web.

[–] TexMexBazooka@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I remember this being a thing before tik tok

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This 'blackout challenge' on Tiktok was a thing before Tiktok?

[–] TexMexBazooka@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Way before TikTok yeah. I remember almost the exact same headlines like 15 years ago in middle school.

[–] tardigrada@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then it's time to ban this.

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Ban kids making up dumbshit challenges and attempting them?