Here & Now

THANKS VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> A MENOMINEE NATION LAWSUIT AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS LIKE META, SNAP, UBER AND TIKTOK BLAMES THE COMPANIES FOR REWIRING THE BRAINS OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS, CAUSING SUICIDAL DISTRESS.

THE SUIT ALLEGES THE ALGORITHMS CODED IN TO THE PLATFORMS ENCOURAGING OBSESSIVE SCROLLING AND RESULTING NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGE, ESPECIALLY AMONG GIRLS.

THE LAWSUIT CITES THE CDC, SAYING TRIBAL SUICIDE RATES FAR EXCEED THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, ALLEGING A LINK TO SOCIAL MEDIA USE.

WE ARE JOINED NOW BY ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE MENOMINEE INDIAN TRIBE, TIMOTHY PURDON.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> YOUR LAWSUIT DESCRIBE HOW THIS HAS DEVASTATED TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION AMONG THE MENOMINEE IN WISCONSIN?

COUNTRY THE RESERVATION COMMUNITIES LIKE MENOMINEE, YOU KNOW, OR A LONG TIME, DECADES REALLY, YOU KNOW, THE TRIBAL YOUTH, THE TEENAGE POPULATIONS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, REALLY SOME OF THE MOST AT-RISK POPULATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU LOOK AT ANY OF THE STATISTICS FOR MENTAL HEALTH, SUICIDE RATES, THOSE SORT OF THINGS, A NATIVE AMERICAN FEMALE TEENAGER HAS A FIVE-TIME RATE OF SUICIDE RISK TO A WHITE FEMALE TEENAGER.

THOSE SORTS OF STATISTICS ARE ALL TOO OFTEN IN INDIAN COUNTRIESN.

THE LAST TEN YEARS WE HAVE SEEN INJECTED INTO THAT VULNERABLE POPULATION THE SOPHISTICATED BUSINESS PRACTICES AND ALGORITHMS O OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES WHICH THE GROWING RESEARCH AND DATA DIRECTLY LINKS TO DECREASE -- >> IN YOUR BELIEF DOES A YOUNG PERSON ENGAGING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA APPS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS?

CLEAR.

THE CDC STUDIES ARE CLEAR AND ESTABLISH A LINK.

SO THAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS BEHIND THIS LAWSUIT AND A NUMBER OF THER LAWSUITS.

LET'S BE CLEAR, MENOMINEE ENTITY IS NOT THE FIRST TO COME FORWARD AND SEW THE SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS FOR NEGATIVE IMPACT FOR THE TEEN MENTAL HEALTH.

AT LEAST 41 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL FILED LAWSUITS SIMILAR TO OURS LAST OCTOBER AGAINST THESE COMPANIES INCLUDING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR STATE OF WISCONSIN.

THIS IS A NATIONWIDE EPIDEMIC, CRISIS.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IMPACTING YOUNG PEOPLE.

THE POINT OF OUR LAWSUIT IS IN THE MIX OF ALL THAT THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION OF TEENAGERS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE NATIVE TEENS LIVING IN THEIR RESERVATION COMMUNITIES.

>> SO THAT IS WHY THIS IS WHAT YOU DESCRIBE AS A FIRST OF ITS KIND LAWSUIT?

HISTORICALLY OVER THE LAST 150 YEARS TRIBAL NATIONS HAVE NOT NECESSARILY COME FORWARD AND EXERCISED THEIR SOVEREIGNTY IN THIS WAY.

COMING FORWARD, FILING A LAWSUIT ON A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IMPACTING THEIR RESERVATION AS IT IS IMPACTING THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

IN THE BIG TOBACCO CASES OF LATE 90s, AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBES WERE NOT PLAINTIFFS, THEY DID NOT SUE.

WHEN THEY SETTLED TRIBAL COMMUNITIES DIDN'T SHARE IN THE SETTLEMENT DOLLARS.

OVER THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS THAT HAS CHANGED AND HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN LITIGATION AGAINST OPIOID MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.

AGAIN, AN EPIDEMIC THAT HAS HIT TRIBES HARD.

OVER 250 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES FILED LAWSUIT AGAINST THE OPIOID MANUFACTURERS.

WHEN THOSE SETTLED OVER 1.5 BILLION WILL FLOW DIRECTLY TO TRIBES FROM THOSE SETTLEMENTS.

THIS IS THE LATEST SITUATION WHERE TRIBES ARE EXERCISING THEIR SOVEREIGNTY.

SITTING SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER WITH THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM WISCONSIN, FROM MINNESOTA, BRINGING THE CASES SAYING WE ARE TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, WE ARE SOV R SOVEREIGN AND OUR PEOPLE ARE IMPACTED, IT IS A ROBUST EFFORT BY TRIBES IN THE COUNTRY.

>> WHAT IS YOUR SUIT SEEK ING?ENTER >> THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

THE SUIT ALLEGES THERE'S BEEN A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS CREATED.

WE ARE SEEKING COMPENSATION, ABATEMENT.

WE WANT TO SEE THAT THE DOLLARS FLOW TO THE TRIBES SO THEY CAN DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE GROWING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE CRISIS THAT IS LINKED TO THE BUSINESS PRACTICES OF SOME OF THESE DEFENDANTS.

>> SO ARE THERE SPECIFIC IDEAS, TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE, ON THE PART OF THE TRIBES OF HOW THEY WOULD SPECIFICALLY USE THIS MONEY?

THE -- WE ARE TAKING THE FIRST STEP IN WHAT COULD BE A VERY LONG JOURNEY TOWARDS JUSTICE HERE.

TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE AT THE END IS A LITTLE PREMATURE.

I CAN TELL YOU IN THE OPIOID CASES TRIBES THAT HAVE RECEIVED SOME OF THAT 1.5 BILLION HAVE BUILT TREATMENT FACILITIES, EXPANDED TREATMENT OPPORTUNITIES ON THE RESERVATION AND IN THOSE SORTS OF MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, MENTAL HEALTH CARE OPTIONS ARE ALL TOO SCARCE IN INDIAN COUNTRY.

SO ANY MONEYS BROUGHT IN TO HELP PEOPLE ON THE RESERVATION IS A BIG HELP.

>> ALL RIGHT.

WE LEAVE IT THERE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

WE LEAVE IT THERE.