SHALOM OLALEYE
School districts in Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel Region, Canada, have taken legal action against social media giants, Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook, TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd, and Snapchat parent Snap Inc.
The lawsuits, seeking a total of about $4.5 billion in damages, alleged that these companies are harming children’s mental health and learning through their platforms.
“Endemic social media use is causing an unprecedented youth mental health crisis,”
stated the Toronto District School Board in its complaint filed in Ontario’s Superior Court.
The lawsuits claimed the companies deliberately targeted children with products designed to create compulsive behavior, leading to disruptions in the classroom and making kids more vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation.
Similar claims have been made by hundreds of US school districts, with New York City and several states suing Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap.
Despite these legal challenges, Meta did not respond to requests for comment on the Canadian lawsuits. TikTok, however, stated that it has introduced safeguards to limit children’s time on the app, and Snap highlighted its platform’s differences, emphasizing its focus on direct interaction rather than a feed of content.
According to the Canadian school boards, about half of Ontario students aren’t getting enough sleep due to their social media use, leading to psychological distress and body dysmorphia. This has forced schools to spend millions on hiring additional staff such as social workers and youth counselors. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board also highlighted the rise of anonymous social media accounts that spread false allegations and hate speech, leading to increased threats and vandalism targeting schools.