Twelve school boards and two private schools in Ontario have filed a lawsuit against social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. They claim that social media platforms have harmed children’s mental health and are seeking more than $8 billion in damages.
In March 2023, four boards (Toronto Public, Toronto Catholic, Peel Public, and Ottawa-Carleton Public) filed a lawsuit, seeking a total of $4.5 billion.
Twelve school boards and two private schools in Ontario have filed a lawsuit against social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. Getty Images
Currently the list includes Dufferin-Peel Catholic, York Catholic, Trillium Lakeland, Ottawa Catholic, Niagara Regional School Board, Simcoe County, Kawartha Pineridge, Rainy River School Board and Holy Name of the Private Religious School in Mississauga. These included Mary College School and Aitz Chaim Day School in Toronto.
Twelve school boards and two private schools filed separate but similar lawsuits in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleging that the company’s platform “wasted billions of dollars in staff support and resources by reshaping the way children think, behave and learn.” claimed. It is also calling for improvements to the platform, it said in a statement.
Duncan Embury, head of litigation at Ninestein LLP, said the recent court ruling allowing parallel litigation to proceed in the U.S. “shows why this litigation is important and why it should proceed.”
He added that the cases are expected to be heard starting in February next year.
A Snapchat spokesperson said the company’s platform was “intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media, with a focus on helping Snapchat users connect with their close friends.” He also said Snapchat “opens directly to the camera rather than a content feed, has no likes or comments, and does a good job of helping kids feel connected to their friends as they face the challenges of adolescence.”
“We would like to note that we have the interests of parents in mind to provide a safe experience for young people on both platforms,” said a Mehta spokesperson on behalf of Facebook and Instagram.
In addition, “Parents can limit their children’s usage time, age verification technology automatically sets the account to private when a child under 16 signs up, and notifications are sent to encourage teenagers to take regular breaks.” “We have more than 30 tools to support those families.”
Mehta has also “invested in technology to find and remove content related to suicide, self-harm or eating disorders before anyone tips it off,” he said, adding that he works with experts and listens to parents to create effective solutions that meet the needs of youth and their families. It said it would develop new tools, features and policies.
The school board and the two schools agreed not to pay legal fees, but instead for Nainstein to receive a success fee from the court’s decision.
In the United States, about 500 school districts have filed similar lawsuits.
The Ontario government said it is not involved in the lawsuit but supports improving the environment on social media platforms for children.
