The case likely doesn't have legal merit. If we could get money damages for actions of others through online platforms there'd be easy money to be made. A reasonable person would also not try to sue companies for this.
Given those two together, it's not difficult to infer.
The only thing shielding companies from liability is Section 230 of the CDA. Without it, companies could be found liable for user generated content that they host.
There are literally thousands of lawsuits filed every year seeking liability from companies that are thrown out simply because of the CDA. I wouldn't say that those thousands of lawsuits are pressed by unreasonable people.
That aside, at least to me, if you're going to provide a platform for children to interact with other people, you better make sure those other people can't and aren't using your platform to exploit kids.
> That aside, at least to me, if you're going to provide a platform for children to interact with other people, you better make sure those other people can't and aren't using your platform to exploit kids.
What if an abuser walks into a theme park or indoor play yard or ice skating rink? Should the operator be liable for monitoring the behavior and speech of every adult in the facility?
I'm friends with someone who worked on a discussion board system for a popular kids' show channel. Every post was first read by moderators before being allowed to be seen. It's a 100% attainable goal for companies that actually care about providing safe places for children to interact online.
Parents cannot and should not be watching their teenaged children 24/7, and if they tried, the children would find ways to hide things from their parents.
Most people find the parents that deny their children any privacy as abusive.
It's healthy for children to have time away from their parents, so they can learn and practice being adults.
The vast majority of teenagers have managed to do this without becoming pregnant, alcoholics, drug addicts, or join violent street gangs. (And some that do still manage to sort their lives out when they get older.)
What's changed in recent years are unregulated, algorithm-driven social media
- that guess people's moods to get them addicted to content and purchase products, including harmful products;
- that pushes content full of misinformation, conspiracy theories and violent extreme politics;
- allows random adults on the other side of the world to reach out to children for exploitation (sexual or financial) or recruitment for violent political causes;
- 24-hour interaction, so there's no break from the drama or abuse of school when you leave school for the day or weekend;
Supposed child-friendly platforms like YouTube Kids or Roblox are attractive places for people who want to exploit children. The profit motive encourages companies to take a hands-off approach, and the scale of users and content means that it's difficult to control.
Something something pandemic means kids aren't seeing their friends so they need social media to fit in. This is what I usually hear. I know people say to just parent your kids, but the right choice isn't always obvious
Her parents were probably just like the many "happy", middle-class families with kids I know - "it's so hard to be the only kid without a smartphone, and since the pandemic, it helps her keep in touch with her friends. And the school has an app now, and there are so many educational games!".
Given those two together, it's not difficult to infer.