> >> WITH EVERY NEW DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT COMES A NEW WAY TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN.

THE LATEST, METAS A. I.

DIGITAL COMPANION.

MARK ZUCKERBERG SAYS IT IS THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BUT NOW A NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPOSES THE REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE KINDS OF TECHNOLOGIES.

THE FILMMAKER AND LAWYER JOIN US TO EXPLAIN YOUR .

>> THIS IS A DOCUMENTARY CALLED "CAN'T LOOK AWAY. "

WHY DID YOU WANT TO MAKE IT?

>> WHEN THE TOPIC WAS PROPOSED TO US, I THINK LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE, YOU SORT OF KNOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS BAD AND WHAT WE LEARNED THROUGH THE DISCOVERY PROCESS BEFORE WE STARTED FILMING IS THAT THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN THAT, THESE ARE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THAT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND THEY ARE DESIGNING THESE PLATFORMS TO KEEP OUR KIDS ON AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE .

AND IN THE PROCESS, THEY ARE REALLY EXPORTING OUR KIDS AND THEY ARE DOING IT WITH INTENT SO THAT OUR KIDS STAY ON.

WE FELT THAT WAS A DOCUMENTARY THAT NEEDED TO BE TOLD.

>> HOW MANY MORE CHILDREN HAVE TO DIE ?

>> I FOUND MY SON'S LIFELESS BODY DUE TO FENTANYL POISONING.

THEY HAVE THE BEST DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN THE WORLD!

>> WE NEED TO TAKE BACK THE POWER FROM THESE COMPANIES.

>> THEY KNOW THE LEVEL OF ADDICTION.

THEY KNOW THE LEVEL OF SUICIDE.

>> MATT, HE STARTED THE SOCIAL MEDIA VICTIMS WALL CENTER COMMISSION AND YOUR COMPANY .

>> THE MISSION IS TO HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE AFTER THE CARNAGE THAT THEIR PLATFORMS ARE INFLICTING ON YOUNG PEOPLE NOT JUST IN THE UNITED STATES BUT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

THEY HAVE DESIGNED PLATFORMS THEY KNOW ARE ADDICTED TO YOUNG PEOPLE.

THEY HAVE PRIORITIZED ENGAGEMENT OVER SAFETY AND THE CHILDREN OF THE FAMILIES THAT YOU SEE IN THE DOCUMENTARY ARE THE VICTIMS OF THESE DELIBERATE DESIGN DECISIONS AND WE AIM TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AND GET THEM TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR AND BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE.

>> MATT MIGHT WORK WITH THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES.

YOU REALLY FOCUS INTO TELE- STORIES, THE TYPES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN ONE OF THE STORIES YOU TALK ABOUT IS A YOUNG BOY NAMED JORDAN DUMAIS .

CAN YOU SUMMARIZE WHAT THAT STORY IS ABOUT FOR OUR AUDIENCE?

>> JORDAN WAS A HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR IN MICHIGAN.

CAPTAIN OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM, THE HOMECOMING KING AND HE HAD DROPPED HIS GIRLFRIEND OFF .

WHEN HE CAME HOME, HE WAS ON INSTAGRAM SORT OF SWIPING THROUGH AND WAS DEEMED BY WHAT APPEARED TO BE A YOUNG GIRL PROBABLY NINTH OR 10th GRADE AND, EVENTUALLY, THEY WERE SHARING EXPLICIT PHOTOS .

AND VERY SOON THEREAFTER, WHAT APPEARED TO BE THIS YOUNG GIRL SAID TO HIM IN ADM, YOU GOT THREE HOURS TO PRODUCE $1000 AND PANICKED FULL ON .

HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON .

EVENTUALLY, WHAT HAPPENS, HE CAME BACK WITH $300 AND SHE SENT THAT PICTURE OUT AND THREATENED TO SEND THAT PICTURE OUT TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM, COACH, PARENTS AND GIRLFRIEND AND HE WAS DEAD AN HOUR LATER .

HE FOUND A GUN AND HE KILLED HIMSELF .

AND IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WASN'T A YOUNG GIRL BUT TWO MEN WHO HAD TAKEN THIS, CREATED THIS PROFILE AND THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED .

FORTUNATELY, ON INSTAGRAM, AND META IS AWARE OF THIS, THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.

BUT HE WAS DEAD WITHIN HOURS OF THIS HAPPENING.

>> SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDED A PLACE FOR THESE PEOPLE.

USING THIS ACCOUNT TO CONTACT JORDAN AND, BASICALLY , GAVE THEM A SAFE SPACE TO COMMIT A CRIME >> THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WENT WRONG THAT NIGHT BUT, ULTIMATELY, INSTAGRAM IS THE REASON IT HAPPENED.

>> RIGHT AFTER THIS STORY ABOUT JORDAN BECAME PUBLIC, METAS MOVED 70,000 ACCOUNTS LINKED TO SEXTORTION.

.

>> IS WIDESPREAD.

AND REALLY, THE POINT WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE, THE BIG TECH COMPANIES, THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE BAD KIDS, EDGE KITS, THESE ARE PARENTS WHO ARE NOT KEEPING A WATCHFUL EYE ON YOUR KIDS.

WE ARE HERE TO SAY THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

THIS IS ANOTHER PAGE OUT OF THE OPIOID PLAYBOOK, OUT OF THE TOBACCO PLAYBOOK.

THIS IS HAPPENING WIDESPREAD .

AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT THESE COMPANIES ARE AWARE OF BUT THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

>> YOU HAVE SEEN THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PATTERNS, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW IT IS THAT SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE SERVING UP THIS?

WHAT IS PREFERENCE, SO TO SPEAK, AND THE ALGORITHM TO DECIDE TO ALLOW EITHER DIRECT MESSAGES TO SUGGEST THAT TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE FOLLOWED, ET CETERA?

>> THEY DO THAT BECAUSE THEIR PROFIT MODEL IS BASED ON MAXIMIZING ENGAGEMENT.

THE MORE TIME THAT A CHILD SPENDS ONLINE, THE MORE ADVERTISING THEY CAN PUT IN FRONT OF THEIR FACE.

SO THEY FOCUS ON SHOWING KIDS NOT WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE BUT WHAT THEY CANNOT LOOK AWAY FROM AND THAT IS WHY THE DOCUMENTARY IS ENTITLED THAT.

AND FROM A STANDPOINT OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, CONTENT THAT IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY DISTURBING IS MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN CONTENT THAT IS BENIGN.

THE OTHER THING THAT THEY DO IS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF YOUNG PEOPLE, ADOLESCENTS WHO CRAVE THE ADORATION OF THEIR FRIENDS AND SO, THROUGH THIS GAME OF VOCATION, THROUGH THE LIKE FEATURE OR THROUGH SNAP STREAKS, THEY CREATE A SITUATION SO THE KIDS MEASURE THEIR SELF-ESTEEM BASED ON HOW MANY LIKES THEY GET ON A POSTING OR BASED ON WHAT THEIR SNAP SCORE IS OR HOW LONG THERE SNAP STREAKS ARE AND THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT OR A COINCIDENCE, THIS IS A DELIBERATE DESIGN DECISION THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE UNDEVELOPED NATURE OF THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN AND THE IMMATURE NATURE OF OF THE ADOLESCENT PSYCHE .

AND AS A CONSEQUENCE, KIDS ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE WORST PSYCHOLOGICAL CRISIS THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN MANY YEARS .

>> IN RESPONSE TO THE FILM, META IS THE COMPANY CHARGING FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM.

SAYING WE KNOW PARENTS ARE HAVING UNSAFE OR EVENTS ONLINE.

THESE TEENAGE ACCOUNTS PROVIDE BUILT-IN PROTECTIONS TO AUTOMATICALLY LIMIT WHO IS CONTACTING AND TEENS UNDER 16 NEED PARENTS PERMISSION TO CHANGE THOSE SETTINGS.

ALSO, WE ARE GIVING PARENTS MORE WAYS TO SAVE WHO THEIR TEENAGERS ARE CHATTING WITH AND BLOCK THEM FROM USING THE APP FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES A DAY OR FOR CERTAIN PERIODS OF TIME.

DOES THAT WORK?

>> IT IS A START AND I WILL SAY THE ONLY REASON THEY MADE THESE CHANGES WAS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN GOING AFTER THEM FOR 2.

5 YEARS IN COURTS OF LAW .

THIS IS EVIDENCE TO ME OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS ESSENTIAL.

I SAY IT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BUT IT IS STILL A BABY STEP.

AS LONG AS KIDS ARE ABLE TO SELF IDENTIFY BASED ON WHAT THEIR AGE IS, IT DOESN'T DO ANY GOOD.

META AND THE OTHER PLATFORMS HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO USE ESTIMATED AGE .

WHATEVER THE SELF-REPORTED AGE IS.

AND YET, THEY ARE UNWILLING TO DO THAT SO TO SOME EXTENT, THEY ARE TURNING A BLIND EYE AND USING IT IS A FIG LEAF.

TO ANOTHER EXTENT, THESE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.

ANYTHING THAT MAKES THESE PLATFORMS SAFER EVEN IF IT IS A SMALL STEP IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

>> OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES WILL COME BACK WITH, WE ARE NOT LEGALLY BLIND.

THERE ARE 26 WORDS IN THE BOOK CALLED SECTION 230 SINCE THE MID-90s AND THEY HAVE BEEN SHIELDED , I GUESS, FOR OUR AUDIENCE, WHAT DOES SECTION 230 SAY?

WHERE DO YOU THINK THE LINE SHOULD BE DRAWN?

>> SECTION 230 WAS DRAFTED IN 1996 WHEN NETSCAPE WAS THE LARGEST PLATFORM.

SOCIAL MEDIA DIDN'T EXIST AND MARK ZUCKERBERG WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

UNFORTUNATELY, AND THE INTERNET WAS IN ITS INFANCY.

AND WHAT IT ESSENTIALLY DOES IS SHILLED COMPANIES FROM LIABILITY FOR POSTING THIRD-PARTY CONTENT ON THEIR PLATFORMS WHICH, BACK THEN, WAS BULLETIN BOARDS.

UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS BEEN BROADLY ATTRIBUTED .

UNTIL WE STARTED DOING OUR WORK TO SHIELD SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES FROM ANY KIND OF LIABILITY.

IN OTHER WORDS, EVERY OTHER COMPANY IN AMERICA HAS DUTY OF REASONABLE CARE AND OUR POSITION IS THAT THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES SHOULD HAVE THE SAME DUTY THAT ANY OTHER COMPANY HAS, BASICALLY, FOLLOW THE GOLDEN RULE .

WHICH WE HAVE BEEN DOING IS FOCUSING ON THE DESIGN OF THE PLATFORM AND SHOWING THAT THESE PRODUCTS ARE DANGEROUS BY DESIGN AND THUS FAR, THESE ARGUMENTS HAVE PERMITTED US TO MOVE FORWARD AND COMMENCE DISCOVERY AND GET THESE CASES READY FOR TRIAL.

BUT, THE ARGUMENT IS THAT EVERY OTHER COMPANY IN AMERICA , AND WE ARE PRO-BUSINESS, PROCAPITALIST, WE JUST WANT SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES TO FOLLOW THE SAME ROLE THAT EVERY OTHER COMPANY DOES AND IF IT COMES, IF AN AUTO MANUFACTURER CAN SAVE A FEW MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR BY PUTTING BAD BRAKES ON CARS, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO THAT EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMPANY BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO BE SUBJECTED TO LIABILITY.

WE WANT SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES TO HAVE THE SAME CALCULUS .

WE COULD HAVE AN ENDLESS STREAM SCROLLING MECHANISM .

YEAH, WE WOULD MAKE MORE MONEY BUT WE WOULD INCUR LIABILITY SO WE BETTER NOT DO THAT.

WE JUST WANT THAT SAME FEEDBACK THAT EVERY OTHER RESPONSIBLE COMPANY HAS TWO APPLIED TO SOCIAL MEDIA.

>> YOU WORKED ON THE LITIGATION BEFORE AND YOU SAID THIS IS SIMILAR, EXPLAIN THAT .

>> I THINK IT IS SIMILAR TO ASBESTOS BECAUSE IT IS A UBIQUITOUS PRODUCT.

IT IS SIMILAR TO ASBESTOS THAT YOU HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS JUST AS YOU HAD TWO GENERATIONS OF WORKERS DEVELOP ILLNESS FROM THE EXPOSED ASBESTOS.

YOU HAVE GENERATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND ENTIRE COHORT SUFFERING ADVERSE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS.

YOU ALSO HAVE IN THE CASE OF ASBESTOS ARRANGES CORPORATE CONDUCT WHERE COMPANIES DO THEIR PRODUCTS WITH HER PEOPLE AND DESIGN THEM ANYWAY.

HERE AS YOU HAVE SEEN FROM THE FACEBOOK PAPERS AND OTHER REVELATIONS THAT THESE COMPANIES KNOW THAT THE PLATFORMS ARE HARMING KIDS AND DELIBERATELY DECIDE TO KEEP MAKING THEM.

AND FINALLY YOU HAVE SOME CREATIVE LEGAL ENTERPRISE AND SOME CREATIVE LEGAL INNOVATIONS THAT HAVE PROVIDED A PATHWAY FOR RECOVERY SO WE THINK IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO ASBESTOS.

I THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS AFTER SPENDING 25 YEARS IN ASBESTOS COMPANIES AND HAVING SPENT THREE YEARS SUING SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES, THE CORPORATE MISCONDUCT OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES MAKES THE ASBESTOS COMPANIES LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF CHOIRBOYS .

>> ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR FIELD IS A WOMAN NAMED AMY WHOSE SON DIED OF AN OVERDOSE AFTER TAKING A PILL HE ALLEGEDLY BOUGHT ON SNAPCHAT.

CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER AND WHAT PERMISSION IS NOW?

>> AS YOU KNOW SO WELL, OUR STORIES ARE ONLY OR CAN ONLY BE BROUGHT TO LIFE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE TERRIBLE HARMS AND ARE WILLING AND BRAVE ENOUGH TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND AMY IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE, HER MISSION JUST IN SHORT, HER SON ALEXANDER BOUGHT A PILL ONLINE AND IT WAS LACED WITH FENTANYL AND HE OVERDOSED.

SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID , SHE KIDS SHOULDN'T BUY DRUGS ONLINE AND WE ALL HOPE THAT OUR KIDS ARE NOT GOING TO BUY DRUGS ONLINE BUT THEY ARE ALSO KIDS AND THEY EXPERIMENT AND THE QUESTION THAT I ALWAYS LIKE TO RAISE IS, DO THEY DESERVE TO DIE?

BECAUSE THEY MADE A MISTAKE?

AND BOUGHT DRUGS ONLINE?

>> WE HAVE ALL OF THE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE AND YET, WE STILL ENDED UP HERE.

>> WE SEE KIDS ARE PARTYING AND TAKING DRUGS AND THAT IS WHERE THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING BUT ALEX DIED RIGHT DOWN THE HALLWAY FROM ME.

YOU THINK YOUR KIDS ARE SAFE AND IT IS NOT THE TIMES THAT WE ARE LIVING IN ANYMORE.

WE GIVE THESE KIDS SMART PHONES AND ABS AND IT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF DROPPING THEM OFF IN THE WORST NEIGHBORHOOD INSANE GOOD LUCK, I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

>> AND WHAT AMY IS TRYING TO DO IS REALLY POINT OUT THAT THIS IS NOT THE FAULT OF THESE KIDS AND THAT PARENTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THESE PLATFORMS, THAT DRUG DEALERS ARE COMING OUT AND SEEKING KIDS IN A WAY THAT WE ARE NOT USED TO.

IT GETS BACK TO THE TITLE OF THE FILM, "CAN'T LOOK AWAY. "

IT IS WHAT IS BEING SERVED UP TO THEM.

>> THE GLOBAL HEAD OF PLATFORM SAFETY AT SNAP HAD IN PART, WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE SUFFERED UNIMAGINABLE LOSSES.

WE HAVE SAFETY TEAMS AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY .

WE WORK EXTENSIVELY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BRING DEALERS TO JUSTICE AND CONTINUED TO RAISE AWARENESS AND EVOLVE OUR SERVICES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE.

NOW YOU ARE SUING SNAPCHAT FOR A FENTANYL OVERDOSE PURCHASE ON THE PLATFORM AND A JUDGE RULED THAT THE CASE MOVED TOWARD DISCOVERY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

>> IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE STATEMENT THAT YOU JUST READ WAS FALSE AND SNAPCHAT HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE FENTANYL EPIDEMIC ARISING FROM USE OF ITS PLATFORMS FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS OR OVER FIVE YEARS AND IT HAS DONE LITTLE IF ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

SNAPCHAT HAS THWARTED LAW ENFORCEMENT.

SNAPCHAT HAS FAILED TO CRACK DOWN ON DRUG DEALERS THAT IT KNOWS ARE SELLING FENTANYL ON ITS PLATFORM TO THE POINT THAT ONE OF OUR CLIENTS REPORTED A DRUG DEALER WHO HAD SOLD HER SON A FATAL DOSE OF FENTANYL CONTAMINATED DRUGS .

EIGHT MONTHS LATER, THAT SAME DRUG DEALER SOLD ANOTHER CHILD A CONTAMINATED FENTANYL DRUG AND THAT CHILD ALSO DIED SO WHAT THE COURT RULING ALLOWS US TO DO IS TO DO OUR WORK AS LAWYERS AND INVESTIGATORS AND SHOW THAT THE SNAPCHAT HAS ALLOWED ITS PLATFORM TO BE USED AS AN OPEN DRUG MARKET AND LITTLE IF ANYTHING, A MEANINGFUL CURTAILMENT .

>> WHAT DO YOU KNOW OR WANT PARENTS TO DO ABOUT THIS?

>> THAT IS A DIFFICULT QUESTION AND I WISH THERE WAS A BETTER ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION BUT, REALLY WHAT WE SEE, PARENTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING.

SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE MORE ENGAGED CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND MAKE SURE THEIR CHILDREN UNDERSTAND THAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, THAT THEY CAN COME TO THEIR PARENTS.

IF IT IS A SEXTORTION CASE, THE EMBARRASSMENT DOESN'T MATTER.

THEY NEED TO TALK TO A TRUSTED ADULT.

CONVERSATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND ADDITIONALLY, THAT THERE BE AS MUCH CONTROL OVER DEVICES AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY HAVE, THERE IS A BIG PUSH AND EVEN TRYING TO DELAY MORE THAN THAT, GETTING SCHOOLS TO REALLY CONTROL AND KEEP THESE DEVICES OUT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

THERE IS NOT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT THAT PARENTS CAN DO OTHER THAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS TO CONTROL THEIR KIDS USE OF THESE DEVICES BACK THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN SAY IS THAT IT HAS TO BE REGULATED.

THAT IS ULTIMATELY WHERE THE ANSWER WAS.

>> THE DOCUMENTARY IS CALLED "CAN'T LOOK AWAY."

>> THANK YOU .

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH .