The pairing social network e children it is a topic, without a shadow of a doubt, which is, to say the least, a burning one.
In this last period, the controversies in this regard seem to have increased. THE school leaders of the United States, in fact, have taken legal action against various platforms in the sector, such as Meta, Alphabet, Snap e BytDance. According to the aforementioned, in fact, such services can cause both emotional and physical damage to younger students.
Although this initiative appears sensational, it is not the only one that large companies in the sector have to face. Always in the United States, in fact, well 42 states they sued Metawith the rationale that Facebook e Instagram they have “They have profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans“. To these initiatives, we must also add the individual lawsuits which, apparently, are always in the states over 140.
In the case involving school leaders, the situation is becoming difficult for the platforms. The district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogersin fact, rejected the motion of the IT giants, who attempted to reject the many lawsuits against them.
According to the ruling, the First Amendment and American legislation confirm that online platforms should not be treated as publishers of third-party content. This means that Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat are not exempt from responsibility for what is published on them.
Meta, Alphabet, Snap and BytDance under accusation: more than 140 lawsuits related to social networks and child safety
According to the judge, many of the claims made by the plaintiffs do not constitute freedom of speech or expression, since they have to do with alleged “Defects” on the platforms themselves.
In this sense, an inadequate is cited child control systemthe assistance of effective systems of age verification and a process of account cancellation anything but simple to do.
In fact, what has been ruled is certainly not a good sign for the platforms involved. The lawyers Lexi Hazam, Prevent Warren e Chris Seegerthey commented on what happened thus “Today’s decision is a significant victory for families who have been harmed by the dangers of social media“.
On the other side of the fence, however, a response was not long in coming. It was the technological giants who made their arguments heard Jose Castanedathe spokesperson for Googleaccording to which the allegations relating to these complaints are “Simply not true“. The spokesperson then clarified how the companies under accusation have worked to create “Age-appropriate experiences for kids and families on YouTube and provides parents with robust controls“.
