RAPID RESPONSE: Social Media on Trial

Student Reporting Labs is inviting students to reflect on efforts to rein in social media companies. Thousands of people, school districts, and state attorneys general have filed lawsuits alleging social platforms are harmful and addictive – making comparisons to cigarettes and casino slot machines. In March, a jury in California found that Meta and YouTube harmed young users and ordered them to pay $6 million in damages. A jury in New Mexico also found Meta liable for violating state law by failing to safeguard users of its apps from child predators and ordered it to pay $375 million in civil penalties . Elsewhere, other countries have passed or are considering tighter restrictions or bans on social media for younger users.

Start your video off with the following introduction:

"My name is NAME (first name and last name) and I am a student NAME OF SCHOOL in CITY, STATE."

"My name is Becky Mullin and I am a student at Northfield High School in Denver, Colorado."

SHARE YOUR VOICE:
In two minutes or less, share your answer or reflection to one or more of these prompts:

• How do you view social media platforms?
  • Have you followed the lawsuits against social media companies? If so, what do you think of the cases?
  • How do you feel about other countries restricting the use, or attempting to ban social media platforms for young people?
  • How do you experience social media, and where does that experience most often happen?
  • How do you feel about your own use of social media?
  • Would you like to see increased regulation or oversight of social media companies? If not, why? If yes, what would you like to see change?
  • What do you think adults don’t understand about how young people experience social media?

ALWAYS RESTATE THE QUESTION IN YOUR ANSWER:
"I am okay with how I use social media. Sometimes I stay online too long, but I also use apps to track my screen time and usually I stop when I need to." – YES ✅

"I feel okay about it." – NO ❌

1. Review prompts and think about which ones you'd like to respond to. Remember we are looking for submissions that are 2 minutes or less.
2. Find a quiet space to film.
3. Set up your camera (you can use a phone) – see desired composition below.
4. Perform an audio check by taking a short video and reviewing it to make sure your voice comes through loud and clear without distracting background noise.
5. Record: introduce yourself first following guidelines at the top of this doc. Then share your response.

• Filmed horizontal, with you centered in the frame
• Light is on your face, avoid filming with your back to a window or other strong light source
• Make your shot wide enough that we could cut it vertically for social media

SUBMIT HERE

ONLY SUBMIT IF…

• You are comfortable with your face, first name and location (city, state) appearing on SRL or PBS News Hour digital, social and broadcast platforms
• You have not mentioned any identifying information about students or their families