How Lawsuits Seek to Make Social Media Safer for Kids: QuickTake

Young people spend long periods of time on social media despite mounting evidence that it’s not good for them. Health experts list harms as varied as lost sleep, eating disorders and suicide. A fast-growing stack of lawsuits accuses companies that run the most popular platforms of knowingly hooking kids before they reach their teens. One allegation: that the social media giants borrow from the playbook of behavioral techniques used in the gambling and cigarette industries. Though the lawsuits face an uncertain fate, they’ve drawn attention to internal records showing the companies were aware of the risks.

1. Who’s suing?

Children, ...