"SNS Ruining Students" US Education Department Sues TikTok and Facebook

"SNS Disrupted School Order"
Headache Over Dangerous TikTok Challenge Trend

School districts across the United States have filed a class-action lawsuit against social networking service (SNS) companies such as TikTok and Facebook. The reason cited is that students' use of SNS has disrupted order within schools.

On the 23rd (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others reported that around 200 school districts nationwide have joined the class-action lawsuit, claiming that SNS harms students' mental health.

The school districts argued that SNS companies should be held responsible because resources must be allocated to address various issues such as SNS addiction. The Tumwater School District in Washington state, which is participating in the class-action lawsuit, stated, "SNS is in an uncontrollable state," and "We believe it is appropriate to secure resources for students harmed by SNS."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

However, WSJ pointed out that for the plaintiffs' claim to hold SNS companies accountable for various problems caused by SNS to be accepted, existing precedents would have to be overturned.

Previously, the United States passed Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in 1996. This provision grants a kind of immunity, stating that internet service providers are not responsible for content posted by internet users.

As a result, in October last year, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed a lawsuit filed by American parents who lost their daughter due to the 'Choking Challenge' popularized on TikTok. The 'Choking Challenge' involves holding one's breath until fainting, a dangerous act that blocks oxygen to the brain, causing hallucination-like sensations.

The parents claimed TikTok was responsible because their daughter was exposed to the Choking Challenge videos due to TikTok's content algorithm. However, the court ruled that TikTok had no liability based on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

In this class-action lawsuit, however, the plaintiffs plan to argue corporate responsibility with the logic that "the problem is not individual content but that SNS companies have created addictive platforms that can feed such harmful content to adolescents." This decision considers that the platforms themselves, such as TikTok and Facebook, cannot be protected by the immunity granted under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

[Image source=Pixabay]

Meanwhile, dangerous challenges have recently been rampant on TikTok. The so-called 'subway surfing,' where participants pose as if surfing on the subway roof, has spread like a trend among American teenagers, resulting in multiple deaths. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of the United States, the number of deaths caused by 'subway surfing' reached 928 in 2022, a fourfold increase compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, among Italian teenagers, the 'French Scar Challenge' is trending. This challenge involves pinching each other's faces or oneself to rupture capillaries under the skin, creating red bruises. In response, the Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation, judging that TikTok neglected harmful content that incites self-harm among teenagers.

Other problematic challenges include the 'Sedative Challenge,' where multiple people take sedatives and see who stays awake the longest, and the 'Benadryl Challenge,' which involves consuming large amounts of antihistamines (Benadryl is a brand name for allergy medication) to achieve hallucinations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.