More than 30 school districts in East Tennessee have joined a lawsuit first filed by Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) against social media companies, claiming that those companies are harming children.
According to WBIR, Knox, Anderson, Blount, Claiborne, Fentress, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Lenoir City, Loudon, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Oneida, and Sevier counties have joined the suit, which names eta, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Google, YouTube and WhatsApp as defendants.
The Tennessee Star first reported on CMCSS’s lawsuit, which was filed by Nashville-based Lewis Thomason and California-based Frantz Law Group last May.
“There are a litany of issues caused by children using social media without proper protections in place,” Lewis Thomason attorney Chris McCarty said at the time. “These issues cause disruptions in schools, increased costs and safety concerns. The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is taking a brave and proactive step to seek accountability and marked changes in the way social media giants interact with children.”
“Studies link social media use in adolescents with an increase in mental health issues including anxiety and depression,” said William Shinoff, an attorney with the Frantz Law Group. “Students, administrators, parents and teachers do not have the resources to address these major concerns. Social media companies have the power to make positive changes to protect children and stop negligent practices.”
Several of the school districts who joined the lawsuit issued statements Tuesday.
From Maryville City Schools:
Maryville City Schools’ decision to join the litigation is a public statement to our families, students and teachers that we are concerned about our students’ mental well-being and recognize the potential negative impacts of widespread social media use on students.
From Oak Ridge Schools:
As the complaint details, there is a wealth of research surrounding the negative impact the platforms have on the mental health of minors and we are hopeful that the lawsuit will change the way these platforms are available to and consumed by our students. The health and safety of our students will always be our top priority, and our involvement in the lawsuit is a means of advocating for our students’ well-being above all else.
From Sullivan County Schools:
With the ever-increasing use of social media among students, we’ve seen negative effects in the classroom, including disruptions, mental health issues and safety concerns. We’re charged with educating, preparing and protecting students and consider the requests in the lawsuit to be common sense solutions that could make a positive impact to combat these issues.
Separately, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, claiming that the company knowingly made Instagram addictive to children, and that it is using “deceptive and unfair business practices that are fomenting a mental health crisis in this state.”
“The un-redacted complaint makes clear that Meta knew its platforms were hurting kids and made a very clear decision to choose money over the mental health of its young users,” Skrmetti said in January. “Tennessee law protects kids from companies, big or small, that mislead and hurt them, and we will continue to aggressively enforce that law.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Kids on Tablets” by verkeorg. CC BY-SA 2.0.
