Lawsuit alleges social media giants exacerbating Native American youth mental health crisis
MINNEAPOLIS — A lawsuit accusing social media companies of harming the mental health of Native American youth is front and center in a courtroom on Monday.
The 164-page suit against Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and other platforms was filed earlier this year by several tribal nations, including Minnesota's Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and two other tribes in the Dakotas.
It claims parent companies to some of the most popular social media sites — including Alphabet, ByteDance, Meta and Snap — have violated Minnesota's laws against public nuisance, negligence, deceptive trade practice and unfair or unconscionable acts.
The allegations include how the social media mammoths failed to disclose or warn the users of the negative mental health consequences associated with social media use, especially for children and adolescents.
It also claims the companies knew the longer users are on the platform, the more likely they would be exposed to content that is violent, sexual or encourages self-harm based on the sites' algorithms.
In a statement earlier this summer, a spokesperson from Alphabet told WCCO the allegations are "simply not true" and providing young users with a safer and healthier experience has always been at the company's core.
WCCO also reached out to ByteDance, Meta and Snap but never heard back.
Monday's court hearing is set for 2:15 p.m.