Seven Canadian schools, including five school boards in Ontario and two private schools, announced a lawsuit against the companies behind the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, and TikTok, accusing them of designing unsafe and addictive products that harm students' mental health and disrupt learning.

The claims were filed yesterday, Tuesday, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by a district school board, with the new lawsuits sharing similar wording and describing social media companies as prioritizing “profit maximization at the expense of student well-being,” regardless of the limited resources available to schools to help youth.

School boards and private schools have sued Meta Platforms Inc., which is responsible for Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, and ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok. The school boards and private schools are making claims totaling $2.6 billion.

In a statement via email yesterday, Tuesday, Meta clarified that it is working to “provide teens with safe and supportive online experiences,” including investing in technology that identifies and removes content related to suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders before it is reported.

For its part, TikTok claimed that the app has safeguards in place, including parental controls and an automatic screen time limit of 60 minutes for users under 18 years old.

Snap stated that it intends to defend against these claims and added that while it has work to do, “we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected and happy as they face many adolescent challenges.”

In the same context, the school boards and schools stated that the companies should have known that their “negligent conduct” would disrupt youth sleep patterns and brain development, preventing them from concentrating and learning in the classroom.

The boards and schools are represented by Neinstein LLP. The school boards are not responsible for the costs associated with the lawsuits and will take a fee if compensation is awarded.

Kari Hughes Grant, principal of Holy Name of Mary School in Mississauga, confirmed that her all-girls school has rules regarding mobile phone use. She added, “It’s been challenging to manage behavior around technology.”

Grant added, “I would really like them to acknowledge the fact that they deliberately created addiction-causing technology.”

Tom D'Amico, Director of Education for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, explained that he hopes the lawsuits will push social media companies to make changes that will protect youth.