PREVIEW: ‘Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media’ screens at Admiral Theater on Thursday

This Thursday, a new documentary about social media and children/teenagers will be shown in West Seattle. Here’s the announcement from organizers, inviting you to be there for the film and a discussion afterward:

On Thursday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m., the Admiral Theatre in West Seattle will host a free, one-night-only screening of “Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media” — a gripping new documentary that pulls back the curtain on how social media companies are knowingly harming children.

The film exposes a chilling truth: our kids are addicted to their screens because that’s how these platforms were built to work. With algorithms engineered to exploit developing brains, apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat aren’t just influencing youth culture — they’re fueling a public health crisis.

The statistics are staggering.

-95% of teens use social media; over a third are on it “almost constantly” (Pew Research).
-57% of teen girls report persistent sadness or hopelessness (CDC).
-The American Psychological Association and U.S. Surgeon General have both issued urgent warnings linking social media to rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among youth.

But there’s another side to this story — and it starts right here in Seattle.

The Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC), headquartered here, is featured prominently in the film. Led by former tech insiders, SMVLC is preparing a landmark case against Snapchat, arguing the company’s design knowingly contributes to child exploitation, addiction, and harm. They are representing families who’ve experienced devastating losses, including Aaron Ping, who lost his teenage son in December 2024 and will speak on the post-film panel.

The panel also includes:

Laura Marquez-Garrett, attorney with Social Media Victims Law Center
Kelly Stonelake, former Meta employee and whistleblower
Emily Cherkin, M.Ed., public policy expert and “The Screentime Consultant”

Moderated by: Sarah Gardner, CEO of the Heat Initiative

The screening is free and open to everyone; RSVP here to save your seat(s).

Seattlite August 26, 2025 (12:42 am)

Even though this is old news, better late than never. Addictions to social media is, in my opinion, another orchestrated way to dumb down youth. Parents with common sense restrict social media and overall phone use. American parents have been brainwashed to think that their kids need a phone 24/7/365. This is simply no true. Common sense needs to kick in at some point in order to save America’s youth. No one needs to be a “victim.” Parents need to step-up and engage their kids in sports, reading, writing, painting, puzzles, etc. Parents need to make sure their kids are getting the attention they need to broaden their horizons beyond a small computer that does more harm than good.

Gatewood Mom August 26, 2025 (10:08 am)

Wondering if this is appropriate for tweens to attend?

rose August 26, 2025 (11:06 am)

the link to rsvp did not send you to a rsvp link.

WSB August 26, 2025 (2:06 pm)

Sorry, it seems a bit convoluted but choose Admiral for the theater and then you’ll see the showtimes for free tickets. That IS the link they provided and I just went through it to check.

Firefighter August 26, 2025 (2:21 pm)

Hmmm – interesting!! I wondered where all the tobacco industry executives went! Maybe they’re into social media addiction enterprises now? Will there be a mass federal government initiative to treat and deprogram all the social media addicts, or are the current crop of feds actually behind the deliberate addiction enterprises because they tend to entice addicts to vote for their party?

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