1. Define the following as used in the article:

• causal (NOT casual)
• causal evidence
• unredacted
• class action
• allegation
• plaintiff

2. a) Who is the CEO of Meta?
b) What platforms does Meta own?

3. What was Meta's Project Mercury? - What did the study conclude?

4. What actions did Meta take in response to Project Mercury's findings?

5. a) Name the other social media companies involved in the lawsuit.
b) What does the class action lawsuit brought by US school districts against Meta and other social media platforms allege in general? and what do they say the companies do and don't do?

6. What specific allegations are made in the lawsuit against Meta?

7. What evidence shows Mark Zuckerberg's disregard for potential harm his company causes children/teens?

8. Who is Andy Stone? What do you think of his response to the allegations made in the lawsuit? (see paragraphs 15-17)

9. a) How many of Meta's social media apps do you use? - How much time do you spend on social media?
b) Would the report on this causal evidence against Meta cause you to deactivate your accounts? Explain your answer.

10. A November 7 news article reported that Meta knowingly allowed scammers to put ads on its sites because they accounted for 10% of its revenue - even though scammers harm their Meta's users. (See "Meta relied on scam ad profits to fund AI, report shows")
--Meta's company mission is "building community and bringing the world closer together." The company also has a vision of bringing the metaverse to life to help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses.

--Google owns YouTube. Google's former motto was "Don't be evil," which was replaced in 2015 by the parent company, Alphabet, with "Do the right thing." The new phrase encourages employees to "follow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect."
Results of a search "Does YouTube cause harm" note in part: Studies and mental health experts indicate that YouTube can cause harm, particularly concerning addiction, exposure to inappropriate content, and negative impacts on mental and physical health, especially among children and adolescents."

Chinese company TikTok's mission statement is: "Inspire Creativity & Bring Joy."
Partial results from a search "Does TikTok cause harm" reveals:
-Excessive use of TikTok has been linked to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, especially in young users. In one study, even short-term usage of 20 minutes was associated with an increase in anxiety and depression scores.
-Addictive Design: The platform's algorithm is specifically designed to maximize user engagement through personalized, auto-playing videos and intermittent rewards (likes, comments), which can lead to compulsive or addictive use and a loss of the perception of time (often called "doomscrolling").

a) Do you think each of these companies fulfill their missions?

b) Do the pros of social media use outweigh the cons?