Minnesota Parents Hopeful as Social Media Giants See Legal Defeats

(Adobe Stock via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – Social media regulation is entering a new phase after a pair of major tech companies were found liable for harms caused to youths. Minnesota parents vocal about too much exposure to these platforms sense this is just the beginning for corrective action.

Juries in two other states awarded civil penalties in the millions, one against Facebook parent company Meta over misleading claims about platform safety, and the other against YouTube for negligence by using addictive design features.

Minnesota mom Alissa Ochs, co-founder of the group Buzz Off Social, which encourages parents to delay social media use among their kids, feels the negative impacts are too dangerous for a child’s developing brain.

“It’s taking parenting out of parents’ hands,” she said, “and it’s not doing our kids any justice when they have the opportunity to just have a less technology-driven childhood.”