The new documentary Can’t Look Away uncovers the devastating impact of social media on children and teenagers. Directed by Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz, the film examines how Big Tech algorithms have been linked to teen suicide, drug overdose, and online exploitation.
Based on reporting by Bloomberg journalist Olivia Carville, the film follows a group of lawyers from the Social Media Victims Law Center in Seattle. These attorneys are representing families who have lost children due to harms connected to social media platforms. The legal team is taking on major tech companies and challenging Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This law, passed in 1996, protects internet companies from being held liable for user-generated content.
“The fact that these skilled lawyers are using product liability to get around Section 230 caught our attention,” said co-director Peltz. “It’s a fascinating legal approach.”
Can’t Look Away is currently streaming on Jolt, a new AI-powered platform that connects independent films with targeted audiences. Other titles on Jolt include Hollywoodgate, Zurawski v. Texas, and The Bibi Files, a political documentary from Oscar winners Alex Gibney and Alexis Bloom.
O’Neill said the decision to release the film on Jolt came down to timing and audience reach. “They can move quickly and get the film in front of people who want this message,” he explained. “They’re a tech company using tools to attract audiences who might not usually watch documentaries.”
Jolt uses artificial intelligence to build what it calls “Interest Delivery Networks,” which help match films to niche audiences. CEO Tara Hein-Phillip declined to share viewership numbers for Can’t Look Away but revealed that the platform’s most-viewed film so far is Your Fat Friend, about writer and activist Aubrey Gordon. Hein-Phillip credited the film’s success to Gordon’s strong online following.
“We’re still learning what builds an audience,” she said. “Each film is different. You can’t assume that the same audience will carry over from one film to the next.”
Jolt shares all audience data with filmmakers and offers them 70% of their earnings. Filmmakers also retain full ownership of their films and all future rights.
Originally, Hein-Phillip said the platform focused on marketing films directly. But now, she believes building an audience requires more effort. “Some films come to us with a following already. Others don’t. When they don’t, we help them build one.”
That effort might include festival screenings, theatrical releases, or targeted impact campaigns.
Hein-Phillip said Jolt partnered with O’Neill and Peltz on Can’t Look Away because the film has wide audience appeal. “Parents, teens, educators, lawyers—this story speaks to all of them,” she said.
To reach those groups, the filmmakers and Jolt have turned to social media—a platform the film critiques—to promote the release.
“We’re not anti-social media,” Peltz clarified. “The point of the film is to place responsibility where it belongs.”
Can’t Look Away will also be released on Bloomberg Media platforms in July.
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