All articles tagged with #youth mental health
Selena Gomez hosted the fourth annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit at the Hollywood Palladium on October 14, 2026. The event, themed 'A Night of Radiance & Reflection,' raised funds for youth mental health initiatives. Attendees included Katy Perry, Martin Short, America Ferrera, and Shay Mitchell, with performances by Leon Bridges and Bella Kay.
A series of papers published in The Lancet argues that screen-time limits imposed by parents are insufficient to address the public health crisis of problematic digital media use among youth. The research, which analyzed 2,790 studies involving over nine million participants, links excessive usage to depression, anxiety, and sleep disruption. Experts urge governments and tech companies to assume responsibility for platform design, rather than relying on individual willpower. Canada’s proposed Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34) aims to restrict social media access for under-16s and mandate data transparency, though critics note that age restrictions alone may not prevent circumvention.
Meta has agreed to a landmark $17.1 billion settlement with 47 U.S. states and D.C. to resolve lawsuits alleging its platforms harm young people’s mental health. The deal mandates design changes, including daily time limits and restricted night access, but critics argue it avoids admitting liability and fails to address the core algorithmic issues driving addiction.
American youth face rising climate anxiety and energy illiteracy due to minimal school instruction. While 75% of global teens fear the future, U.S. students lack basic knowledge of electricity sources. This gap coincides with a surge in energy jobs and nuclear investment, creating a mismatch between student expectations and economic reality.
A federal trial in Oakland, California, begins on August 18, 2026, involving 29 state attorneys general suing Meta over alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and state consumer protection laws. The states accuse Meta of intentionally designing addictive features for minors and misleading the public about platform safety. While Meta disputes the claims as unsubstantiated, the trial carries the potential for penalties up to $1.4 trillion and mandatory structural changes to Instagram and Facebook, including the removal of infinite scroll and like counts. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers presides over the case, which follows recent adverse rulings in New Mexico and Los Angeles that have already imposed significant fines and operational restrictions on Meta.
A coalition of 29 state attorneys general is suing Meta in California federal court, alleging the company designed addictive features for teens and violated child privacy laws. The states seek up to $200 billion in damages and mandatory changes to core platform features like infinite scroll and like counts. Meta denies wrongdoing, calling the financial demands disproportionate and lacking evidence of real-world harm.
Meta Platforms faces a seven-week federal trial in Oakland, California, starting August 18, 2026, where a coalition of 29 state attorneys general seeks up to $1.4 trillion in damages. The lawsuit alleges Meta’s apps, including Instagram and Facebook, used addictive features to harm youth and violated privacy laws by collecting data without parental consent. Meta has dismissed the claims as unsubstantiated and disproportionate, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the company knowingly designed dangerous products for children. This trial follows recent legal losses, including a $567 million penalty in New Mexico and a $6 million verdict in Los Angeles, marking a pivotal moment in ongoing youth-safety litigation.
Meta is facing a potential $1.4 trillion liability in a federal trial involving 29 state attorneys general, which begins next week in Oakland, California. This follows a recent New Mexico ruling ordering Meta to pay $567 million for youth mental health treatment, a decision the company plans to appeal. While Meta calls the new federal allegations 'unsubstantiated,' the New Mexico judge found the company contributed to a public nuisance. These legal battles occur alongside financial concerns over Meta’s massive AI capital expenditures, which have already strained its free cash flow and led to stock declines.
A Florida teenager known as R.K.C. has dropped his lawsuit against Meta over social-media addiction, after previously settling similar claims against TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Meta says the claims were baseless and the teen received no payment. The case was not going to trial, and it comes amid a broader rollout of lawsuits alleging social-media harm to young people, with several cases already resolved or set for trial and other settlements involving Meta and rival platforms.
Researchers map 29 interlocking biological, psychological, and social factors into 175 causal connections, revealing self-reinforcing loops that can keep young adults (18–40) trapped in sleep problems and depressive symptoms. The model emphasizes that no single cause explains the crisis and is being used as a living, scalable tool to guide local interventions (e.g., Faaborg-Midtfyn) as public health policy evolves, with input from 14 multi-disciplinary experts.
Australia's new rules banning under-16s from social media aim to shield minors but risk isolating disabled youths who rely on online spaces for connection and community; advocates warn access to online networks is a lifeline for people with disabilities and call for better support and safeguards as some teens circumvent or go offline.
Los Angeles trial marks the first time Meta, TikTok and YouTube face jurors over claims their platforms are addictive and harm youths’ mental health, with a 19-year-old plaintiff and her mother seeking damages; Snap settled earlier; top executives from the three companies are expected to testify, and the outcome could influence thousands of similar cases and drive platform safety changes.
Mark Zuckerberg and other social media executives are ordered to testify in a landmark US trial examining the impact of social media on young people's mental health, with the case accusing companies like Meta and Snap of negligence and harmful design features, amidst growing legal and political scrutiny.
New York City has sued major social media companies, including Meta, Google, Snap, and ByteDance, accusing them of negligence and designing addictive platforms that harm youth mental health, citing data on teen screen time, sleep loss, school absences, and dangerous trends like subway surfing influenced by social media.
A survey reveals that half of U.S. youth experience daily loneliness impacting mental health, with disparities based on income and LGBTQ+ status; while 55% report good mental health, many face family, school, and friendship challenges, highlighting the need for increased support in schools and targeted interventions.