美国国家公共电台 NPR--Why 2 Seattle area school districts are suing 5 social media companies

Why 2 Seattle area school districts are suing 5 social media companies

Transcript¹

The school districts allege² that the companies' practices have led to increased anxiety, depression, eating disorders³ and bullying⁴ among children.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Two Seattle-area school districts are taking social media companies to court. They accuse them of harming students' social, emotional and mental health. Eilis O’Neill from member station KUOW reports.

EILIS O’NEILL, BYLINE⁵: All through high school, Delaney Ruston's daughter Tessa struggled with clinical depression, and being on social media made it worse when she saw photos of her peers out doing things.

DELANEY RUSTON: She could spiral into a worse mood and feel worse about herself.

O’NEILL: Ruston is a doctor and the maker⁶ of two documentaries about the effect of screens and social media on teens. Her kids went to a public high school in north Seattle.

RUSTON: Tessa's struggle with depression was by far the hardest thing that I've gone through in my life - and seeing her pain and knowing that I couldn't protect her from everything that was happening in screens.

O’NEILL: Reston says, these days, learning how to manage a phone is part of growing up. Now, Seattle Public Schools and a nearby district are suing the companies behind Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. The lawsuit⁷ alleges⁸ that these companies market to teens and then design algorithms that hold their attention and increase the risk of anxiety, depression, cyberbullying and eating disorders.

ELIZABETH DEXTER-MAZZA: They're using our brain science to keep us engaged.

O’NEILL: Elizabeth Dexter-Mazza is a clinical psychologist and the parent of two teens and a preteen.

DEXTER-MAZZA: Which keeps us disengaged from things in real life and exacerbates⁹ depression and suicide ideation and behaviors in teens.

O’NEILL: Dexter-Mazza says the social isolation¹⁰ of the pandemic, together with social media, have worsened young people's mental health.

DEXTER-MAZZA: The general like feature where somebody posts something and then they're waiting for acknowledgement really can impact people's self-esteem.

O’NEILL: The Seattle School District declined to comment for this story. But the Washington state school superintendent¹¹, Chris Reykdal, says the effect of social media on young people is a critical issue.

CHRIS REYKDAL: No one can continue to tell us that social media has the power of educating, power of advancing knowledge, the ability to inquire, to connect with people - you can't just sell the positives of it without recognizing that some of the darkest things students see are on there. And that, too, has impact and influence.

O’NEILL: The lawsuit states that schools have borne the cost. They've had to hire more counselors¹², train teachers to recognize the mental health needs of their students and educate students about the dangers of social media. The companies declined to be interviewed for this story but said in statements that they've taken steps to keep young people safe on their platforms. Meta, for example, says Instagram checks users' ages and allows parental¹³ supervision¹⁴ of young people's accounts. Back in north Seattle, Delaney Ruston has a photo of her daughter Tessa in her office.

RUSTON: This is her dancing.

O’NEILL: Ruston says her daughter had loved dancing since she was 5. But during her depression, getting to class was a struggle.

RUSTON: I just remember many times her crying and saying - in some of the depth of her depression, not wanting to go. And yet when she would go, 8 out of 10 times, she'd say, I'm so glad, Mom, you pushed me to get to my class.

O’NEILL: Getting off of screens, getting exercise and being in person with her friends - that was what she needed.

RUSTON: Making sure that we worked together to have screen time limits - having those limits is really love.

O’NEILL: Ruston says, though she's not sure the current lawsuit is the best way to get there, she really does hope the schools fully¹⁵ fund mental health.

For NPR News, I'm Eilis O'Neill in Seattle.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARC DE SOLEIL'S "SUNDOWN AVENUE")

FADEL: If you or someone you know might be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

8 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

9 exacerbates   

n.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的名词复数 )v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Stripping the land in these ways allows faster surface runoff and exacerbates flooding. 这些做法终将使土地裸露、地表径流加快，从而加重了洪水的威胁。 来自辞典例句
• This policy exacerbates the gap between rich and poor. 这项政策加剧了贫富差距。 来自互联网

10 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

11 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

12 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

13 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

14 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。