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‘They’re addicting kids and they know it’: the attorney challenging social media firms | US Congress | The Guardian

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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 t

TikTok’s office in Culver City, California, in 2023. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen TikTok’s office in Culver City, California, in 2023. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images US Congress This article is more than 2 years old Interview ‘They’re addicting kids and they know it’: the attorney challenging social media firms This article is more than 2 years old Kari Paul Matthew P Bergman’s firm has filed cases against Snap, TikTok and others, with a novel argument – that the products are harmful by design Thu 25 Jan 2024 11.22 EST Last modified on M

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