Ontario’s biggest school boards sue Meta, Snapchat and TikTok

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Social media, designed for “compulsive use,” has “reprogrammed the way children think, behave and learn,” claims a lawsuit against the Internet giants filed by four English-language school boards in Ontario.

The lawsuit, filed by the Toronto Public and Catholic Boards (TDSB and TCDSB) as well as the Peel Public Boards (PDSB) and Ottawa-Carleton Public Boards (OCDSB), seeks:

• Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
• Snap (SnapChat)
• ByteDance (TikTok)

The schools are demanding compensation of $4.5 billion.

This legal action echoes that brought by 40 US states last year against Metawho accused the web giant of harming children’s health.

Ontario’s four school boards, which serve more than half a million students, accuse social media giants of negligence by knowingly promoting addictive apps to children .

The impact of social media on today’s young people at school is undeniable, whether it be widespread problems with concentration, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, increased aggression or mental health.

A quote from Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Director of Education, Toronto English Public School Board (press release)

To read and listen:

The impact of social media

According to the suit, social media applications disrupt student learning and the education system. Educators and schools find themselves managing the fallout, whether it be additional mental health or IT resources.

Urgent action is needed to protect students from further harm, says Rashmi Swarup, director of education for the Peel School Board, in a press release.

out of 10 students in our schools use social media every day. More than half of these students spend 5 hours or more per day”,”text”:”More than 9 out of 10 students in our schools use social media every day. More than half of these students spend 5 hours or more per day”}}”>More than 9 out of 10 students in our schools use social media every day. More than half of these students spend 5 hours or more a day there, says Pino Buffone, director of education for the Ottawa-Carleton board.

The suit is being funded by the Neinstein law firm, which will receive a portion of the winnings if the suit leads to compensation.

Applications for compulsive use

The algorithm [de ces applications] is designed so that users spend more time there, argues lawyer Duncan Embury of the Neinstein firm.

He says he was initially unaware, as a father, of this compulsive aspect of social media. He encourages other parents to pay attention to the issue to better protect their child.

The four school boards are asking, he says, for changes to the application algorithm, as well as better parental controls and restrictions on the user’s age, in particular.

The objective of the compensation claimed is, according to the lawsuit, to finance the resources necessary to offer more support to students.

Reactions

Snap defends itself, saying Snapchat helps its users stay in touch with their friends. rather than on a content feed- and does not have traditional likes or public comments”,”text”:”Snapchat opens directly on a camera -rather than on a content feed- and n ‘has no traditional likes or public comments’}}”>Snapchat opens directly to a camera – rather than a content feed – and has no likes or comments traditional audiences, argues company spokesperson Tonya Johnson in an email.

Although we always have more work to do, we’re happy with the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy and prepared for the many challenges of adolescence, she adds.

We have not had the reaction from Meta and ByteDance yet.

Radio-Canada also sent an email to the office of the Ontario Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, but we have not had his reaction yet.

No French-speaking school board is part of the lawsuit.