Social Media Litigation

The aim of litigation is to recover funds for School Districts to help their students, by hiring additional mental health personnel and develop additional resources to address mental, emotional, and social issues caused by this harmful exposure. School Board litigation will also help to demand changes on how social media companies operate, in order to safeguard children and adolescents going forward. These companies must be held accountable.

School districts are on the frontlines of a nationwide youth mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media products. With so many of our youth in turmoil, schools have been forced to divert crucial resources to help students in need of health services. Social media has caused an ever-growing mental health crisis in this country.

Additionally, School Districts will have to increase training for teachers and staff to identify and help students exhibiting symptoms of mental, emotional and social health issues as well as expose members of the community to the dangers of social media when used the wrong way.

On May 23, 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a public advisory that social media could have a profound risk of harm on the health of children and adolescents. The Surgeon General found that one in five children aged 13 to 17 now suffers from a mental health disorder, due to many of these exposures and research has shown that over 50% of teens say they are online constantly.

In light of these findings, The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association have all declared child and adolescent mental health a national emergency.

JAMA Pediatrics researchers conducted brain scans and concluded that social media use is associated with physical changes in children’s brains. JAMA Psychiatry also published a study showing teenagers who use social media more than three hours a day are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and aggression.

A study conducted on middle school students indicated that spending too much time on social media increases the risk of eating disorders, with 52% of girls and 45% of boys opting to skip meals, engage in physical exercise, and other common behaviors associated with eating disorders. There are numerous other studies and scientific research showing that excessive exposure to social media is harmful to the health of students and increases rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and suicide.

There is already a multi-district litigation or (“MDL”) established against the main social media companies in the Northern District of California before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The reality is that since the case would be filed in the MDL and not State Court, it would require a minimal investment of time on the part of School District’s administrators and staff. A Fact Sheet would be required and possibly a little more, but they would not be required to sit for numerous depositions, answer extensive discovery, or attend hearings or trial.