Annalee Schott used to live in rural Colorado where the farm, the barn, and the horses were her happy place. But online she was drawn into a dark world. The 18-year-old’s TikTok algorithm allegedly presented her with content—including a live suicide on her For You page—that impacted her self-worth and exacerbated her anxiety and depression. …
In 2020, Annalee died by suicide. Six years later, Lori is one of the approximately 1,600 plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits from all over the US alleging that Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube built addictive products that led children to depression, self-harm, and other mental health issues. The cases have been filed by over 350 families and 250 school districts. The first of them—that of a 20-year-old woman who goes by the identifier K.G.M.—[has gone] to trial, with opening statements … in front of a jury in Los Angeles.
This is the first time major social media companies will face a jury trial for the alleged impact of their design on users—in this case, young ones.
