BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A California woman wins 6 million dollars in a lawsuit aimed at Meta and Google. It’s a landmark case, potentially setting a precedent that many technology companies vehemently disagree with.
At UVM, most students don’t remember a time before social media. It was an integral part of the way they grew up. They’re the main demographic in lawsuits across the country that allege social media companies of creating an addictive design that harms youth. In California, a jury found, for the first time, that these social media companies are responsible for the harm they caused to youth. The ripple effects remain to be seen.
“After using it for long periods of time, just scrolling… I’m like, wow. I really wish I could’ve been doing something else with my time,” said UVM Sophomore Sarah Ewell.
We all feel like Ewell sometimes, stuck on our devices in a whirlwind of media. We’re like Homer’s lotus eaters, but instead of fruit, we’re consuming what’s been famed as “the infinite scroll.”
“They are designed algorithmically with mathematical precision to not just tailor the content you consume to who you are, but tailor it in a way that they allege evokes certain emotions, certain extreme emotions,” said St. Michael’s Digital Media Professor Sebastiaan Gorissen.
Gorissen says these extreme emotions go hand in hand with harmful content that could cause addictions, leading to or exacerbating mental illness. It’s the exact argument that convinced a jury in California that Meta and YouTube acted with malice when they made their engagement design.
“Especially with the way the algorithm is so responsive to what you want and is constantly listening to you, I think that’s not safe, especially for people who are underage and easily manipulated,” said UVM Sophomore Oakley Waters.
Meta says they will appeal the decision. Social media companies have long been protected by a piece of federal law called “Section 230”, which gives platforms immunity for the consequences of the content posted on their sites. This is the first time that legal shield has been punctured. Proving software design and the content it conjures as the direct cause of someone’s mental health struggles is not easy.
“In the eyes of the law, correlation and causation are not the same thing, and causation will be incredibly difficult to prove in the court of law,” said Gorrisen.
Vermont is part of a nationwide lawsuit against meta looking to award damages to the affected and end the addictiveness. It remains unclear if that case will be won with this precedent, or if social media companies will change their design.
“There is a little bit of some of the responsibility on the users and the consumers to be able to regulate themselves,” said UVM Environmental Science Major Sumi Farrell.
Gorrisen believes that, in the end, cases like this may be adjudicated by the Supreme Court. Those nine may decide the fate of our digital futures.
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