Sarasota County Schools could be next district to join lawsuit against social media giants
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota County Schools could be the next school district to join a growing lawsuit against social media giants.
Tuesday night, the Sarasota County School Board discussed possibly suing the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube over negative impacts on teens in the classroom.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, more than 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 use social media. Some school districts feel it's become such a distraction in the classroom that they now want to hold the companies legally responsible.
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"Mental health experts have seen this astronomical rise in teen depression and teen self-harm," Attorney Matt Mokwa with Maher Law Firm said. "This is being driven in large part and significantly being exacerbated by social media."
Sarasota County Schools is now the latest district considering joining more than 20 other districts in the state who are suing the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube over their negative affects on teens in schools.
Mokwa is representing a majority of the districts in Florida. He argues social media companies use targeted algorithms to increase user engagement, leading to an addiction and increase in youth mental health issues that districts have been left to address, straining their resources.
READ: Nearly 1 in 5 teens use TikTok, YouTube 'almost constantly,’ survey finds
"Hopefully the school districts can obtain resources to help deal with the problem as well as, hopefully, we can get some guardrails and regulations and different changes that affect how the social media companies engage and deal with largely youth and children," Mokwa said.
The lawsuits come after the U.S. Surgeon General released a report last May warning that social media use is a main contributor to depression, anxiety and other problems in teenagers.
Social media companies have come out against the lawsuits in statements arguing protecting kids on their platforms is one of their main focuses and that the districts are wrongly pointing the finger.
According to the school board, if they decide to pursue litigation, the board won't be out any money, and attorney fees will only be paid out using funds from a judgment or a settlement if one is reached.