"Between 2007 and 2018, suicide rates among youth ages 10 - 24 in the US increased by 57%," according to a 2021 advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health by the US Surgeon General. Young people are currently facing a crisis that is being driven by the negligent and wrongful practices of social media companies like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Data released by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveals a spike in suicides by young people as social media use has become more ingrained in their daily lives. A CDC report also shares that high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and are creating suicide plans at an increasing rate. 
Social media companies know and understand the dangers their platforms pose to millions of young users. Meta, and companies like it, have continued to target and entice children and teens to increase time spent on their platforms, pursuing profits while, in some cases, doing irreparable harm. Facebook's own internal research has demonstrated its understanding that some teen girls are negatively impacted by its product and, as a result, have increased thoughts of suicide and a worsening of body image issues and eating disorders. Social media companies must be held responsible for the harm they are causing their users. These companies are contributing to a significant and devastating public health crisis and are destroying the lives of young people and their families.