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Menominee nation lawsuit against social media giants like Mera snap YouTube and tiktok
Blames the companies for rewiring the brains of teens and young adults causing suicidal distress
The suit alleges the algorithms coded into the platforms encourages obsessive scrolling and resulting negative self-image
Especially among girls the lawsuit sites the CDC
Saying tribal teen suicide rates far exceed the national average
Alleging a link to social media use. We are joined now by one of the attorneys for the Menominee and Indian tribe Tim Purdon and thanks very much for being here
Thanks for having me. So your lawsuit describes how soaring suicide and and mental illness have devastated tribal communities
What is the situation among the Menominee in Wisconsin?
Well generally across Indian country the reservation communities like Menominee, you know for for a
long time
Decades really, you know the tribal youth the teenage populations in those communities really some of the most at-risk
Populations in this country. You look at any of the statistics for mental health suicide rates those sorts of things
You know a Native American
Female teenager as a five times
Rate of suicide risk to a to a white female teenager
Those sorts of statistics are all too common in in Indian country and over the last 10 years
We've seen injected into that that vulnerable population
The sophisticated business practices and algorithms of these social media
companies which the growing research and data
Directly links to decreased mental health amongst teenagers increased suicides all those sorts of things
How exactly in your belief does a young person engaging with social media apps contribute to this?
Well the the the the statistics are clear right the CDC studies are clear and they establish a link
And so that that that is the scientific basis behind this lawsuit and a number of other lawsuits
I mean, let's be clear Menominee Indian Tribe is not the first entity to come forward and sue these social media giants for the negative impact on on
Teenage youth mental health
41 at least 41 state attorneys general filed lawsuits similar to ours last October
Against these companies including the attorney general for the state of Wisconsin. So this is a nationwide epidemic a nationwide crisis
social media platforms impacting young people and
And the point of our lawsuit is is that in the mix of all that the most vulnerable
Population of teenagers in this country our native teens living in their reservation communities. And so
That is why this is what you describe as a first of its kind lawsuit
right, so so historically
Historically over the last 150 years if you will tribal nations have not necessarily come forward and exercise their sovereignty in this
Way coming forward filing a lawsuit
On a public health crisis that's impacting their their reservation as it's impacting the rest of the country in the big tobacco cases of the
Late 90s American Indian Tribes were not plaintiffs
They didn't sue the big cigarette companies and when those cases went to trial and settled
Tribal communities didn't really share in the settlement dollars. So over the last five six years. You've seen that change
Tribes were heavily involved in the in the litigation against the national and national litigation against opioid
Factors and distributors for the opioid opioid epidemic in this country again
An epidemic that has hit tribal communities exceptionally hard over
225 federally recognized tribes came forward and filed lawsuits against the opioid manufacturers
And when those cases settled to date over 1.5 billion dollars will flow directly to tribes from those settlements
This is the the latest situation where tribes are exercising their sovereignty sitting shoulder to shoulder
If you will with the state attorney general from Wisconsin the attorney general from Minnesota and bringing these cases saying we are tribal governments
We are sovereign. We have these claims. Our people have been impacted. It's a it's a robust
Growing exercise of sovereignty by tribal nations in our country. What is your suit seeking?
Well, I mean we there's a been a public health crisis the pseudo-leges. There's been a public health crisis created here and we're seeking
You know compensation
abatement
We we want to see
that the
Dollars flow to the tribes so they can
Develop programs to address the growing mental health crisis and in suicide crisis that is delect that is linked to the business practices
of some of these defendants
And so are there are there specific ideas to your knowledge on the part of the tribes of how they would specifically use this money
We are you know, we're at the very we're at the we've taken the first step in what could be a very long journey towards justice here
So to talk about what this might look like at the end, I think is a little premature
I can tell you in the opioid cases tribes that have received some of that 1.5 billion dollars have built treatment facilities have have
You know expanded treatment opportunities on the reservation and and those sorts of mental health treatment mental
uh
health care
Uh options are all too scarce in Indian country
So any monies that can be brought in to bring help to people on the reservation is is a big help
All right, we leave it there tim perton. Thanks very much
Thank you for having me
You
Really interesting thank you
Yeah, yeah, it is
uh, you know, we represent the monomony in the opioid case as well and uh, you know, the initial dollars flowed
In august september
Um, and again, those payments are over a number of years, but we have a client
In north the coda that got that opioid money and is building a treatment facility on the reservation for the first time ever
I mean the tribes 100, you know, the tribes 1000 years old the government's 100 years old and they've never had an on campus or an on reservation
I should say uh
Treatment facility so those sorts of dollars are are are important and having them flow directly to the tribes
Rather than to say the state government and then the tribes apply for a grant and that sort of thing
That's that's a big deal. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. We won't be watching it. Uh, thank you. All right. Thank you. Nice to meet you. You too
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