By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Fourteen Canadian school boards are suing four social media giants for CAN$8 billion (US$7.57 billion), claiming the platforms damaged students’ health.
The case will be heard early next year.
The boards allege that Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram have, according to court filings, “rewired the way children think, behave and learn,” the Toronto Star reported Thursday.
The school boards, which represent more than one million students in the province of Ontario, say the injuries to students’ mental health and well-being has cost them billions in staff supports to try to correct the damage.
Four original school boards launched a lawsuit last March for $4.5 billion, and the number has now jumped to 12, along with two private schools, and the claimants are now seeking $8 billion in damages with separate but similar litigation.
Besides the money, all the boards want changes in the four social media giants to lessen the impact on students. The social media giants have said they will defend the claims.
A Snapshot spokesperson says the platform “was intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media, with a focus on helping Snapchatters communicate with their close friends,” the Toronto Star reported.
“Snapchat opens directly to a camera rather than a feed of content and has no traditional public likes or comments.”
The spokesperson said Snapchat “feels good” because it helps close friends to “feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.”
A spokesperson for Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said the company has the best interests of parents “at heart” as both Facebook and Instagram “provide teens with safe, supportive experiences.”
TikTok was this week was banned from doing business in Canada by the federal government because it could be forced to turn over its personal data collected on Canadians to Beijing. Canadians can still use TikTok but they have been warned to be careful on what personal information they disclosed.
Lawyer Duncan Embury said this litigation against the four platforms is “important” and that he expects the cases to be heard this February, the Star said.
About 500 school US school boards have made similar claims against the companies.