TORONTO — Lawsuits filed against social media companies by 12 Ontario school boards and two private schools will be allowed to proceed.
An Ontario Supreme Court Justice on Friday dismissed a motion from the companies that own platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram to dismiss the case.
The Rainy River District School Board in Northwestern Ontario is one of the boards that filed claims last year for a total of $4.5 billion, alleging social media have "rewired" children's brains and made the cost of education significantly higher.
The RRDSB is claiming a total of $60 million.
Director of Education Heather Campbell has said the addictive properties of social media have compromised students' attention and disrupted classrooms, and students are suffering from increasing mental health issues.
"We believe it's become a crisis," she told Newswatch last November.
The allegations have not been tested in court, but this Superior Court decision paves the way to a trial.
"The statistics, if true, and the methods and outcomes of social media on the learning environment reveal broad effects that impact not only the immediate access to the right to an education, but to the futures of many young people. It is arguable that an addictive product that interferes with the mental health and educational aspirations of students is a public nuisance that requires a remedy," the court stated.
Boards and schools involved in the case have formed the group Schools for Social Media Change, and are calling on social media giants to redesign their products to keep students safe.
Companies have said they are committed to the well-being of young people, and are continuing to work on tools and policies that help families mitigate the risk of harm to children.
With files from Mike Stimpson
