In Ontario, four major school boards are suing TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat, accusing them of interfering with students' learning.
The lawsuits allege that platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have changed how children think, behave, and learn, causing teachers to deal with the consequences.
Meta Platforms Inc. owns Facebook and Instagram, while Snap Inc. owns SnapChat and ByteDance Ltd. owns TikTok.
Several U.S. states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to youth mental health issues by intentionally creating addictive features on Instagram and Facebook.
The Toronto District School Board, Peel District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are the school boards in Canada filing these lawsuits.
They are seeking compensation for the disruption caused to student learning and the education system.
The school boards stated, “The Defendants have acted in a high-handed, reckless, malicious, and reprehensible manner without due regard for the well-being of the student population and the education system.”
A spokeswoman for Snap Inc., Tonya Johnson, said that Snapchat helps users stay connected with their friends.
She added, “Snapchat opens directly to a camera — rather than a feed of content — and has no traditional public likes or comments. While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy, and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.”
There was no immediate response from representatives of Meta and ByteDance to the requests for comment.
In a statement, Duncan Embury, a lawyer for the firm representing the boards, mentioned that advanced tech developers have knowingly and negligently designed their products to keep young people on their platforms for extended periods, at the expense of their well-being and education.
He also stated, “Social media companies should be held responsible for their negligence and the harm they have caused to our schools and our community at large.”
Social media use among teenagers is almost universal in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Nearly all U.S. teens between 13 and 17 use a social media platform, with about a third using social media “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.
In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy urged tech companies, parents, and caregivers to take immediate action to protect children from the negative effects of social media.
This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. The law will go into effect on Jan. 1 and is likely to face legal challenges.
