Minnesota tribe joins lawsuit against social media giants | The Mighty 790 KFGO

MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO/WCCO) – The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota is one of five tribes suing social media companies Facebook, Instagram and TikTok over their role in a mental health crisis among Native American youth.

Tim Purdon works at the Minneapolis law firm Robins-Kaplan. The firm filed the lawsuit specifically targeting Native American teenagers, who he says are particularly vulnerable.

“They’re more vulnerable because they’re struggling with their mental health,” Purdon said. “Because of the isolation and poverty on some reserves, they’re more vulnerable and we know for sure that they’re using social media as much, if not more, than their non-Indigenous counterparts.”

According to Purdon, social media companies are still targeting Native American youth despite knowing it has negative consequences for their mental health.

“There is growing evidence that these corporate practices, which are designed to generate advertising revenue, are contributing to these poor mental health outcomes,” Purdon explains.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Native American youth.

Purdon says they will seek financial damages to help solve the mental health and public health crisis caused by social media companies.