How to use Washington’s Meta settlement to help our youth thrive
Many Washington kids and teens have lost months, if not years, of their precious childhoods to scrolling on Instagram and other social media. Big Tech’s addictive algorithms have stolen their attention, bolstering the bottom line for tech companies by fueling ad revenue. And what was lost? The ingredients of a healthy childhood: sleep, exercise, in-person […]
Community invited to a conversation on Youth Mental Health in South Snohomish County
LYNNWOOD—Verdant Health Commission will bring together healthcare providers, government officials, school leaders, nonprofit organizations, and families for a focused community conversation on child, adolescent, and young adult mental health on Thursday, May 28, 2026. The event, titled “Youth Mental Health: Connecting, Listening, and Moving Forward Together,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. […]
Big Tech on the hook: Jury slams Meta and YouTube for addicting kids, awards $3M in historic verdict
LOS ANGELES—A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google’s YouTube liable for negligence in designing addictive features on their social media platforms, awarding $3 million in compensatory damages to a 20-year-old woman who said she became hooked as a child. The case now moves to the potential punitive-damages phase, the jury’s initial award […]
Push for youth social media safeguards revived in WA Legislature
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Avery Ping had a knack for noticing who in a room might be having a bad day and checking in on them. He wanted to be a psychiatrist. But the Olympia teen was addicted to his screen, his father Aaron said. He wanted to get away from his phone, and Aaron was adamant […]
Free, trauma-informed youth hotline releases report on its first year
SEATTLE—In the first year since launching, 161 youth (aged 0-25) and concerned individuals in 20 counties across Washington contacted HearMeWA – the free, trauma-informed youth hotline. HearMeWA is a text and phone hotline available 24 hours a day in multiple languages and that fully complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act’s visual and hearing guidelines. […]
