The Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations are suing social media giants for their role in the growing mental health crisis for Indigenous young people. The nations argue that using social platforms can replace human interaction and give rise to cyber-bullying, body dysmorphia and suicide pacts.
The tribal nations filed similar complaints in the U.S. Northern District Court of California last week, targeting TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, among others. The respective complaints compare their addictiveness to slot machines and cigarettes, and because young users' prefrontal cortexes are still forming, they said youth are especially vulnerable.
At the heart of the respective lawsuits, both nations are concerned about the high suicide rates of Indigenous young folks that exceed the national average. The CDC found that suicide was the second leading cause of death for non-Hispanic Indigenous young folks in 2022.
In Oklahoma, Native Americans were a demographic with one of the highest rates of suicide from 2004 to 2022, according to a report.
While both the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations said they have worked to provide resources to combat the growing mental health crises in their communities, they need to hire additional counselors and medical professionals to promote the mental and emotional health of their young citizens. It's especially important because of the integral role they play in carrying on traditions and preserving knowledge, as noted in the complaints.
"Beyond the emotional toll, youth suicide poses a significant challenge to the long-term vitality of tribal communities," the complaints stated. "...Furthermore, the premature death of these individuals diminishes the workforce and undermines the development of future leaders, creating lasting impacts on the stability and growth of tribal nations."
This is not the first time tribal nations have sued social media companies over their effects on their citizens' mental health. Last year, the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit accusing social media giants of contributing to the high suicide rates of their youth.
