53% Are Aware of Us Schools Suing Meta for the Mental Health Crisis

The San Mateo County Board of Education has filed a lawsuit against Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms, accusing them of knowingly designing and promoting platforms that harm children’s mental health and teenagers –  thus negatively impacting society.

The lawsuit against Meta cites numerous studies that suggest a link between social media use and negative mental health outcomes. The plaintiffs allege that Meta has prioritized profits over the well-being of its users, leading to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people. While the success of the lawsuit remains unclear, it highlights the effects of social media addiction on mental health.

Hence, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on US schools suing Meta for contributing to a mental health crisis to gather what the public thinks about the correlation between young minds and social media use.

Key Points:

• Enforce strict community policies to remove harmful content for young user safety, suggest 15.65%.
• 39.43% neither have nor anyone they know experienced mental health problems related to social media.
• Likelihood of cyberbullying and harassment as a consequence of social media on young users, believe 18.65%.

Survey Shows Majority Believe Social Media Responsible for Youth Mental Health

According to a recent Real Research study, over half of the respondents (52.69%) were well aware of the schools in Seattle, San Mateo, Florida, and Arizona suing Facebook’s parent company, Meta. These schools claim that the social media giant is contributing to a “mental health crisis” among the young. This raises questions about the impact of social media on mental health and the responsibility of tech companies to address these concerns.

Accordingly, 36.54% stated that social media platforms are responsible for protecting the mental health of young users, followed by 18.29% who disagreed and said parents and caretakers are responsible, and 16.19% who stated that young users are responsible for their own acts.

A minority (9.89%) said that schools should be responsible. Furthermore, when asked if the use of social media apps contributes to mental health problems among students, a majority of 71.98% believed that it does, while 18.27% disagreed and 9.75% were unsure.

Suggestions for Meta to Improve Safety of Young Users Amid Denial of Allegations

In response to Meta’s denial of the allegations made by schools regarding their safety tools for young users, the next poll asked the respondents what additional measures they believed Meta should take to ensure the safety of young users.

The results showed that 15.65% of respondents believe implementing strict community standards and moderation policies to remove harmful content is necessary, followed by 15.44% who suggested collaborating with experts in child psychology to design age-appropriate user interfaces and content.

Other important measures, according to the survey, include educating young users about online safety and responsible social media use (15.01%), using AI to identify and flag potentially harmful content (14.63%), conducting regular age verification checks to prevent underage access (14.26%), and providing parental control tools that allow parents to monitor their children’s online activity (14.08%).

Survey Finds: Social Media Taking Toll on Mental Health & Young Users at Risk

When asked if they or someone they know had experienced mental health problems related to social media use, 39.43% of respondents indicated that neither they nor anyone they know had experienced such problems. 33.47% of respondents reported that they had not experienced such problems themselves but knew someone who had.

On the other hand, 27.1% of respondents reported that they had personally experienced mental health problems related to social media use. Notably, these findings highlight the widespread impact of the social media mental health crisis and the need for greater awareness and support in this area.

In the last poll, the respondents were asked about the potential consequences of social media addiction on the mental health of young users. The results showed that 18.65% of respondents believe social media addiction increases the likelihood of cyberbullying and harassment, while 16.18% believe it increases the risk of anxiety and depression.

Other consequences mentioned in the survey include sleep disruption and fatigue (15.41%), increased chances of substance abuse and addiction (12.79%), and a higher possibility of causing self-harm (12.14%).