Ontario educator’s lawsuit against Meta, Snapchat and TikTok grows larger

A lawsuit against Meta, Snapchat and TikTok just got bigger.

Five more school boards from Ontario have signed onto a lawsuit alleging that the social media company’s platforms have intentionally rewired how children think, behave and learn.

It brings the total number of plaintiffs to nine and includes two other private schools.

Four of the province’s biggest school boards initially launched the lawsuit in March.

They say schools have felt left to deal with the fallout of their policies, and they want compensation for the time and money they’ve spent dealing with the crises.

READ MORE: Four Ontario school boards sue Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok

The latest to join the litigation are:

• Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB);
• York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB);
• Trillium Lakeland District School Board (TLDSB);
• Ottawa Catholic District School Board (OCSB);
• District School Board of Niagara (DSBN); and
• and private schools Holy Name of Mary College School and Eitz Chaim.

A release from an organization called Schools for Social Media Change says the diverse mix of boards shows that the issue is having a wide impact, regardless of socio-economic status or cultural background.

“The addictive properties of social media products have now become a universal issue,” said Carrie Hughes-Grant, Holy Name of Mary College School.

“No culture, religion or socio-economic status is safe. It’s imperative for our schools to band together to prepare our students for the ever-changing world, which we can’t do if they are lacking focus and suffering from an increase in mental health harms.”