Quick summary: More than a dozen U.S. states, including D.C., are suing TikTok, accusing the platform of being addictive and harmful to kids’ mental health. At the heart of the lawsuit is TikTok’s “dopamine-inducing” algorithm, which promotes endless scrolling and unattainable beauty standards. While some, like viral TikTok star Jools Lebron, have used the platform for fame and financial gain, others, such as immigrants misled by misinformation, have faced real-world dangers. We delve deeper into this issue this weekend, featuring reporting from Black Voice News, Parlé Magazine, Documented, Luz Media and more.
Credit: iStock
Is TikTok harmful to youth? States say yes, and they’re suing
Hey fam,
Did you hear that more than a dozen U.S. states, including the District of Columbia, are suing TikTok? The lawsuits claim that the popular short-form video sharing app is addictive to kids and harms their mental health. Even U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has urged Congress to require TikTok to place a warning label on its platform, noting that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face “double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms,” as Black Voice News reported earlier this year.
However, in his New York Times op-ed, the surgeon general made it clear that “a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people.”
So what would make social media safer for kids and how should we make sense of the national lawsuit and its implications moving forward?
First, we should consider how people are using TikTok.
Some insight comes from URL Media partners like Parlé Magazine, a digital lifestyle brand known for evergreen culture stories. Earlier this summer, Parlé featured Jools Lebron, who went viral on TikTok with her tongue-in-cheek guide on how to be demure, modest and respectful in the workplace.
“A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the gym looking like Patty and Selma... not demure,” Lebron shared in the video, racking up 53 million views.
Lebron, a trans woman from Chicago, was reportedly able to pay off the rest of her transition surgery because of the fame and event bookings that followed her TikTok success.
Then we have reporting from partners like Documented, a digital-first news outlet covering immigration in New York, which provides a very different — and dark — example of how TikTok can deceive users.
Featured Stories
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, known for her passionate voter mobilization efforts and fiery speeches on the congressional floor, recently appeared on WURD Radio. The Texan discussed Trump’s involvement with the 900-page Project 2025 — despite repeated attempts to distance himself and his campaign from it — and reflected on her latest viral moment in the House. “I like to tell people that Project 2025 is already here,” she said. 🎧 Listen to the interview →
A new report from the Williams Institute at UCLA warns that over 210,000 transgender people in the U.S. could face barriers to voting due to increasingly strict voter ID laws—an all-time high since the institute began tracking the issue 12 years ago. As more states, including Texas and Florida, make it harder for transgender residents to update their IDs, disenfranchisement risks continue to rise for this vulnerable population. Read more from Prism →
Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, bringing intense winds, dangerous storm surges, and the threat of major flooding. President Biden has already warned that this could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over 100 years. What’s even more alarming is that studies show Black communities and people with lower incomes are less likely to evacuate due to lack of money, transportation, or job requirements, according to a study cited by Capital B. Read more here →
Elcilie Jean is the widow of 102-year-old Marcellus Jean, a survivor of the 1937 Parsley Massacre. Marcellus, who had spent his final years mute and immobile due to health issues, carried the trauma of the massacre throughout his life. The Haitian Times shares that despite seeking financial help for his medical bills from the Dominican Republic and Haitian governments, no aid ever arrived. Hear from the people who remember Jean as a caring, tireless worker who always showed loved through small gestures, including his great nephew Uraymond Jean →
The Republic of Benin is offering citizenship to African descendants in the Americas who can trace their ancestry back to the country. This move acknowledges the nation's complex role in the transatlantic slave trade and aims to reconnect descendants of enslaved Africans with their ancestral homeland. More from TANTV →
Atlanta became the Black Mecca through a combination of activism, politics, and culture that empowered the Black community. During the 1970s and '80s, civil rights activism continued with movements like the March Against Repression, while the election of Maynard Jackson as Atlanta's first Black mayor in 1973 spurred economic growth. PushBlack shares more about how Atlanta became the Black Mecca →
Introducing Your Voice Matters: An eight-part digital series between PBS’s WNET THIRTEEN and Epicenter NYC
Earlier this month, ThirteenWNET and URL Media partner, Epicenter NYC, introduced an eight-part digital series exploring key issues for New Yorkers and New Jerseyans ahead of the 2024 election. The video series delves into key election issues, including housing, caregiving costs, climate change, transportation and immigration. Each short episode combines interviews with everyday people, subject matter experts and policymakers. The latest episode part tackles the city's immigration crisis.
Tune in to the latest part for real stories and expert insights ahead of the general election on November 5, with episodes premiering Tuesdays on THIRTEEN’s YouTube.
