Janis Whitlock

Research Scientist Emerita

Janis Whitlock, research scientist emerita at Cornell University, has conducted research and provided community-based consultation in areas related to social media and mental health.

Whitlock says:

“There's a wide spectrum of opinions about the effects of social media platforms, like TikTok, on youth mental health. Regardless of where we fall on this spectrum, lawsuits such as this provide a powerful pathway for examining some of the most important questions of our age regarding technology and mental health. 

“Despite how thoroughly technology has been integrated into everyday life, we all benefit from the scrutiny that such litigation provides. Our children depend on adults, institutions, corporations, governments, regulatory bodies, and the courts to ensure they have healthy environments in which to grow up. 

“While we hope that each of these powerful forces has children's wellbeing at heart, we know this isn't always the case. Legal challenges serve as an important backstop in holding social media platform developers and their parent companies accountable in protecting our youth.”