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vivek murthy
State AGs Launch Lawsuit Against TikTok for Harming Children
"We are suing TikTok to protect young people and help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis," explained New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Oct 08, 2024
Attorneys general from over a dozen states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday announced lawsuits against TikTok, accusing the company behind the popular social media platform of deliberately making the site addictive for children and deceiving the public about its dangers.
"We're suing the social media giant TikTok for exploiting young users and deceiving the public about the dangers the platform poses to our youth," Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta
explained Tuesday morning in San Francisco. "Together, with my fellow state AGs, we will hold TikTok to account, stop its exploitation of our young people, and end its deceit."
New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, said in a
statement that "young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok."
"TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true," she continued. "In New York and across the country, young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges and many more are feeling more sad, anxious, and depressed because of TikTok's addictive features."
"Today, we are suing TikTok to protect young people and help combat the nationwide youth mental health crisis," James added. "Kids and families across the country are desperate for help to address this crisis, and we are doing everything in our power to protect them."
James' office said in a
statement:
TikTok uses a variety of addictive features to keep users on its platform longer, which leads to poorer mental health outcomes. Multiple studies have found a link between excessive social media use, poor sleep quality, and poor mental health among young people. According to the U.S. surgeon general, young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
According to James' office, TikTok's addictive features include:
- Around-the-clock notifications that can lead to poor sleep patterns for young users;
- Autoplay of an endless stream of videos that manipulates users into compulsively spending more time on the platform with no option to disable;
- Attention-grabbing content that keeps young users on the platform longer;
- TikTok "stories" and TikTok live content that is only available temporarily to entice users to tune in immediately or lose the opportunity to interact;
- A highlighted "likes" and comments section as a form of social validation, which can impact young users' self-esteem; and
- Beauty filters that alter one's appearance and can lower young users' self-esteem.
The attorneys general also accuse TikTok of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which is meant to shield children's online data; of falsely claiming that its platform is safe for children; and of lying about the effectiveness of its so-called safety tools meant to mitigate harms to youth.
In addition to California and New York, the following states are part of the new lawsuit: Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington. So is the District of Columbia.
All told, 23 states have now filed lawsuits targeting TikTok's harms to children.
However, the issue is by no means limited to TikTok. Last October, dozens of U.S. states
sued Meta—which owns the social media sites Facebook and Instagram—for allegedly violating consumer protection laws by designing their apps to be addictive, especially to minors.
Twitter, the social platform known as X since shortly after it was
purchased by Elon Musk in 2022 for $44 billion, was sued in 2021 by child sex trafficking victims for allowing the publication of sexually explicit images of minors and refusing to remove them as requested by the plaintiffs and their parents.
Last month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
published a report detailing how social media and streaming companies endanger children and teens who use their platforms. The report's publication sparked renewed calls for Congress to pass legislation including the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act and Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to better safeguard minors against the companies' predatory practices.
However, rights groups including the ACLU condemned KOSA, which the civil liberties organization
warned "would violate the First Amendment by enabling the federal government to dictate what information people can access online and encourage social media platforms to censor protected speech."
The two bills—which were
overwhelmingly passed by the U.S. Senate in July—were last month approved for advancement in the House of Representatives.
In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on "the growing concerns about the effects of social media on youth mental health."
The White House simultaneously announced the creation of a federal task force "to advance the health, safety, and privacy of minors online with particular attention to preventing and mitigating the adverse health effects of online platforms."
Murthy has also called for tobacco-like warning labels on social media to address the platform's possible harms to children and teens.
Some critics are wary of singling out TikTok—which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance—for political or xenophobic purposes.
Earlier this year, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a $95 billion foreign aid package containing a possible nationwide TikTok ban. The legislation requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company within a year or face a federal ban. TikTok subsequently sued the federal government over the potential ban.
Approximately 170 million Americans use TikTok, which is especially popular among members of Gen-Z and small-to-medium-sized businesses, and contributes tens of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy annually.
Evan Greer, who heads the digital rights group Fight for the Future, slammed the law as "one of the stupidest and most authoritarian pieces of tech legislation we've seen in years."
However, children's advocates welcomed the new lawsuits.
"We are pleased to see so many state attorneys general holding TikTok accountable for deliberately causing harms to young people," said Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay. "Between state and private lawsuits, state legislation, and Federal Trade Commission enforcement actions, the tide is turning against Big Tech, and it's clear the status quo of social media companies harming kids cannot and will not continue."
"Now we need leaders in the House to join their Senate counterparts in passing the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act so that all platforms, not just those involved in legal settlements, will have to be safe by design for children from day one," Golin added.
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'Pivotal Moment': US Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis
"To protect the health and well-being of Americans, especially our children, we must now act with the clarity, courage, and urgency that this moment demands," the surgeon general said.
Jun 25, 2024
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence on Tuesday, calling it a "public health crisis."
The advisory marks the first time that the nation's leading physician has published a warning on gun violence, which now joins the ranks of tobacco, skin cancer, and opioids as the subject of a surgeon general's publication.
"Firearm violence is a public health crisis," Murthy said in a video message announcing the report. "Our failure to address it is a moral crisis. To protect the health and well-being of Americans, especially our children, we must now act with the clarity, courage, and urgency that this moment demands."
The report comes after gun violence deaths in the U.S. reached their highest level in 30 years in 2021. According to the report, 54% of U.S. adults have either experienced a firearm-related incident directly or have a family member who has. Of those impacted, 21% were threatened with a firearm; 19% lost a family member to guns, including by suicide; 17% saw someone being shot; 4% used a gun to defend themselves; and 4% were injured by one.
Gun violence has been especially devastating for children. As of 2020, firearm injury overtook car accidents, cancer, drug overdoses, and poisoning as the leading cause of death for young people ages 1 to 19.
The U.S. stands out among similar nations for its level of gun violence. In 2015, the U.S. had 11.4 times the rate of gun-related deaths compared with 28 other high-income countries, and more than 90% of the children who died due to gun violence in those countries died in the U.S.
"I know it's been polarizing and I know it's been politicized, but if we can see it as a public health issue, we can come together and implement a public health solution."
While mass shootings grab headline attention and are on the rise, they only account for around 1% of gun-related deaths. The rise in gun-related deaths is in large part fueled by an increase in gun homicides over the past 10 years and gun suicides over the past 20. Still, mass-shootings take a disproportionate toll on the nation's mental health, with more than three quarters of U.S. adults reporting stress due to worries about experiencing one.
"Our children should not have to live in fear that they are going to get shot if they go to school. None of us should have to worry that going to the mall or concert, or house of worship means putting our lives at risk, or that we'll get a call that a loved one in a moment of crisis has taken their own life with a firearm," Murthy said. "All of us, regardless of our background or beliefs, want to live in a world that is safe for us and our children."
The issue of gun violence has been heavily politicized in recent years, something Murthy has both acknowledged and experienced. After comments he made about gun violence, the firearm lobby and some Senate Republicans opposed Murthy's confirmation as former U.S. President Barack Obama's surgeon general in 2014, The Associated Press explained. He was confirmed after promising not to use his office as a "bully pulpit on gun control."
Trump dismissed him as surgeon general in 2017 and, when President Joe Biden reappointed him, he again assured the Senate that gun violence would not be a priority during his tenure. However, Murthy also received counter-pressure to take up the issue from Democratic groups and other public health professionals, including four former surgeon generals.
"I want people to understand the full impact of firearm violence in our country, and I want them to see it as a public health issue," Murthy toldThe Washington Post. "I know it's been polarizing and I know it's been politicized, but if we can see it as a public health issue, we can come together and implement a public health solution."
Murthy toldKFF News that this approach helped the U.S. tackle other major killers, such as tobacco after the surgeon general's landmark warning in 1964 that smoking caused cancer and other ailments.
"We saved so many lives, and that's what we can do here, too," Murthy said.
"There are many powerful forces who downplay the threat of gun violence because the status quo benefits them financially or politically, and I'm grateful that Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy had the courage to do what he knows is best for our nation's health."
That said, the report does include recommendations that will require a political compromise in Congress, including a ban on automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines, universal background checks, more restrictions on firearms in public spaces, more penalties for improper safeguarding of firearms, and regulating firearms like any other consumer product.
The report also calls for measures such as community violence prevention programs, improved access to mental health services, and additional research into the best ways to reduce gun violence.
The advisory was welcomed by members of the public health community as well as gun violence prevention advocates.
"Today marks a pivotal moment in public health as the surgeon general has issued a new advisory declaring gun violence a public health crisis. As a pediatric surgeon and advocate for safer communities, I am deeply moved and resolute in supporting this call to action," Dr. Chethan Sathya, vice president of strategic initiatives and director of gun violence at Northwell Health, wrote on social media.
Joseph Sakran, executive vice chair of surgery at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and chief medical officer for Brady United Against Gun Violence, told KFF Health News that the advisory was a "historic moment that sounds the alarm for all Americans."
In a statement, Sakran continued: "Historically, we have seen how the release of surgeon general reports on public health issues such as the dangers of smoking ignited a wave of policy, legal, and public health initiatives that saved countless American lives and in this case led to deprogramming our nation from the tobacco industry's lies. We hope this report will have the same resounding impact on the gun violence epidemic."
Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), founder of gun control organization GIFFORDS, said: "I have seen firsthand how shootings are a major threat to Americans' lives and well-being, and our leaders must view the problem as the public health crisis it is. There are many powerful forces who downplay the threat of gun violence because the status quo benefits them financially or politically, and I'm grateful that Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy had the courage to do what he knows is best for our nation's health. Policymakers at every level of government have a responsibility to heed the declaration and take urgent action to protect their communities."
March For Our Lives noted on social media that the advisory came after "years of activist pressure."
"The gun lobby fought hard, but data doesn't lie," the group wrote. "Our push for more research and tighter laws is paying off, and we're starting to win BIG."
Both Sakran and Sathya argued that the report was not an end in itself, but a gateway to more effective prevention efforts.
"Let's heed this advisory not as a mere recommendation, but as a clarion call to action," Sathya concluded. "Together, we can turn the tide on gun violence and create a healthier, safer environment for all."
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Social Democracies Continue Happy Streak as Neoliberal US Falls Out of Top 20
"It all begins with high levels of trust between citizens and our institutions," said one official in Finland, which was ranked as the happiest country.
Mar 20, 2024
Finland and other social democracies in the Nordic region continued their streak of ranking at the top of the annual World Happiness Report, an accounting of people's attitudes and outlooks in 140 countries that was released Wednesday—but countries including the United States marked striking shifts in the level of happiness among their populations.
The U.S. fell out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time, driven largely by declining happiness among people under 30.
The report—compiled by Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Center, Gallup, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network—found that people under age 30 in the U.S. rank 52 places behind people aged 60 and up in terms of happiness.
If only the youngest respondents were asked about their happiness levels, the U.S. would rank at number 62 in the annual report, while Americans aged 60 and up ranked at number 10 worldwide.
Researchers told The Guardian that after 12 straight years of young Americans reporting higher levels of happiness than their older counterparts, the trend flipped in 2017.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Center and editor of the study, told the outlet that the drops in happiness among young people in North America and western Europe were "disconcerting."
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who has frequently spoken about the effects of social media on young Americans, spoke to The Guardian and highlighted high levels of social media use as a contributor to unhappiness among young people.
Murthy said it was "insane" that the U.S. has not yet passed laws regulating social media features such as "like" buttons or infinite scrolling to disincentivize frequent use of the platforms, noting that American adolescents spend an average of nearly five hours on social media.
But Jukka Siukosaari, Finland's ambassador to the U.K., attributed the country's high levels of happiness to an "infrastructure of happiness," including relative economic equality and affordable opportunities for Finnish people.
"It all begins with high levels of trust between citizens and our institutions," Siukosaari told The Guardian.
Finland's public healthcare system ranked number 3 worldwide in U.S. News and World Report's survey last year, and a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that in 2019, 64% of the Finnish population reported trusting the government, compared to an OECD average of 45%.
Finland ranked at the top of the list for the seventh year in a row, while other Nordic social democracies in the top five happiest countries included Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
A 2023 study published in the journal Telematics and Informatics found that similar concerns about frequent social media use among young people exist in Finland as in the U.S., with about 10% of Finnish teens displaying "problematic" use of platforms, including experiencing withdrawal from social media and continuing use even after experiencing negative consequences like anxiety and depression.
Young adults in Finland spend about 20 hours per week, or nearly three hours per day, on social media, according to the study.
Another survey by YPulsepolled young people in Western Europe about their social media use, finding they spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on social media platforms and that 84% agreed with the statement, "My generations are obsessed with social media."
But many Western European countries ranked far ahead of the U.S. in terms of the happiness of people under age 30, including Iceland (4), Denmark (5), Luxembourg (6), and the Netherlands (9).
"Social media is believed to play a part in driving down self-esteem and robbing young people of their wellbeing. But it is the lack of education, skills training, and affordable housing that underpins the decline in the positive outlook traditionally displayed in surveys by those broadly fitting the Gen Z age group," wrote Phillip Inman, an economics correspondent for The Guardian, about the rankings of the U.S. and its peers, such as the U.K. and Australia, in which happiness has also dropped precipitously for young people.
While social media use is increasingly common among young people in many countries, the decrease in happiness and life satisfaction also comes amid the rising threat of the climate emergency, with scientists reporting last year that devastating climate events like wildfires and deadly heat waves were direct consequences of continued fossil fuel extraction and planetary heating.
Young Americans are also coming of age as the wealthiest people in the country have gotten richer since the coronavirus pandemic, while millions of working families are part of what Oxfam last year called a "permanent underclass... who are denied their economic rights, trapped in poverty, and unable to accumulate wealth no matter how hard they work."
The cost of a college education in the U.S. has risen by about 40% in the last two decades, when adjusted for inflation, and housing affordability is no better—with half of renters telling Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies in January that they are paying more than they can afford to in rent.
"Young adults are being hit from all sides by a toxic combination of government policy, a housing affordability crisis, stagnating wages, and a high cost of living," the Intergenerational Foundation told The Guardian in response to the report.
Inman wrote that the latest World Happiness Report "is a warning sign to governments that have put the welfare of older people above that of younger generations."
"If young people cannot establish themselves in the workplace with a decent home and time and money to visit friends and family," said Inman, "the ramifications will boomerang on the old."
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