Canadian School Boards Sue Social Media Giants Over Impact on Students' Well-being

Four large school boards in Canada, specifically the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three Toronto-area boards, have filed lawsuits against social media companies Meta (Facebook), Snap Inc (Snapchat), and ByteDance (TikTok). The schools accuse these companies of acting in a "high-handed, reckless, malicious, and reprehensible manner," using "exploitative business practices" to maximize profits. The boards claim that the social media platforms disrupt students' fundamental right to education and cause significant costs to the education system. The schools seek damages totaling $4.5 billion. They argue that these social media companies create products that interfere with student learning, causing a "significant diversion and drain" on resources and personnel. None of the allegations have been proven in court. The school boards in Ontario are also seeking about $2.9bn (four billion Canadian dollars) in damages for the disruption to students' learning and the addictive nature of these platforms for children.