Dear Kaley (aka “KGM”),
You’re a hero to me. You’re the young woman who took Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap to trial — and won.
I imagine you’re glad that trial is over. It must have taken years. I’m guessing you often wished you were doing something else besides meeting with lawyers or sitting through courtroom bureaucracy. I can only imagine the feelings you had while attorneys questioned you, both in private and in the courtroom. You had to relive your darkest moments. You probably questioned, more than once, why you brought this lawsuit.
Here’s why: This verdict will make Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and even Pinterest and Roblox, less harmful and more enjoyable for kids (and all of us) in the long run.
There was a good reason behind all of this. This verdict helped so many other girls, kids, and teens. The 7-year-olds growing up online today will inherit a safer environment because you stood up to Big Tech.
What you did is a very big deal, Kaley.
What I can tell you is what your courage means to me, someone who has spent nearly 20 years trying to make digital media better, sooner. I’ve taught media literacy to kids — mostly girls, grades 6 through 12 — for almost as long as you’ve been on YouTube. I believed then, and I believe now, that this work is lifesaving. But the systems that could have helped us reach you — educational institutions, governments, foundations, tech companies — weren’t ready to see it as that crucial. That is a failure we have to carry. We didn’t reach kids like you in time.
I find myself wondering what you think should happen next — not what advocates like me think, not what legislators are debating, but what you believe kids need right now. After all, you were that kid.
I hope I will eventually get to know your struggle through a book you write (maybe a graphic novel?) — one of the first dispatches from a childhood and teenhood with social media as a huge influence, from a time before most parents really knew what was happening. Or through a talk you give or a video you make.
And if you choose to be anonymous and just live your life, I hope it’s a great one.
Before I close, one thing I hope you’ll hold onto: I hope you will never give in to the mental health problems that social media (and probably this trial) has caused you: Don’t let what you went through define how you see yourself. Do what you need to do to get and stay well. I hope you will fight and heal, like so many girls and women have done before you.
I hope that what you’ve been through becomes something you carry with you — not as a weight, but as proof of what you’re made of.
With respect and gratitude,
Jennifer Berger
Long-time media literacy educator and expert
Founder and Executive Director, Ready Set Screen
San Francisco, CA
