‘They’re addicting kids and they know it’: the attorney challenging social media firms – By Kari Paul (The Guardian) / Jan 25, 2024
Matthew P Bergman’s firm has filed cases against Snap, TikTok and others, with a novel argument – that the products are harmful by design
Next week, executives from some of the biggest social media firms will be called before the US Congress to answer questions about their “failure to protect” children who use their platforms.
In attendance will be Matthew P Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center – a law firm dedicated exclusively to representing the families of children allegedly harmed by social media. The firm has filed cases against platforms including Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Discord.
Bergman, who has been practicing law since 1991, had a storied career in asbestos litigation before turning his attention to social media. Inspired by the testimony of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, Berman said he noticed a number of parallels between social media and asbestos. Both are products initially thought to be beneficial before being exposed as detrimental to human health, he said. The corporations involved brazenly tried to cover up the harms they knew were coming, he added.
“The confluence of these things made me think that this really was asbestos all over again,” Bergman said. “I saw this as an opportunity to do something different with my legal career – something more proactive.”
CONTINUE > https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/kids-addicted-social-media-congress-meta-tiktok-snap
