Premier Doug Ford says lawsuits brought by four Ontario school boards against multiple social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction from work that really matters.
School boards, including three in the Greater Toronto Area, have filed lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against the owners of Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram for creating products they allege negligently interfere with learning. students and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”
But at an unrelated news conference in Ottawa on Friday, Ford said he “disagrees” with the legal action and worries it could divert attention from “the core values of education.”
“Let’s focus on math, reading and writing. That’s what we have to do, put all the resources on the children,” she said. “What are they spending legal fees on to go after these huge companies that have endless money to fight this? Let’s focus on the children, not other nonsense that they try to fight in court.”
On Wednesday, the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa Carleton District School Board filed four separate but similar statements of claim in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario.
The school boards are represented by the Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP, and in a press release issued Thursday, the firm states that the school boards “will not be liable for any costs related to the lawsuit unless achieve a successful result.
The lawsuits allege that the social media giants have “knowingly and/or negligently disrupted and/or fundamentally changed the school, learning, and teaching climate,” causing governing boards to suffer “substantial harm.”
According to the school boards, the damage includes “a significant diversion and drain” of resources and personnel.
“Defendants chose to maximize profits at the expense of the well-being of the students and without regard to the foreseeable damages caused,” the statement of claim reads.
None of the allegations have been proven in court. CP24 has contacted the companies for comment.
“Snapchat was intentionally designed to be different from traditional social networks, with a focus on helping Snapchatters communicate with their close friends,” a Snapchat spokesperson said in an email to CP24.com.
“Snapchat opens directly to a camera, rather than a content stream, and has no traditional public comments or likes. While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping users. close friends to feel connected and happy and prepared to face the many challenges of adolescence.
Colleen Russell-Rawlins, director of education for the Toronto District School Board, said there is “no denying” the impact of social media on children, stating that it leads to “widespread problems,” including distraction, social withdrawal , cyberbullying and mental health problems. “.
“It is imperative that we take action to ensure the well-being of our youth. We call for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation,” Russell-Rawlins said in a written statement.
These lawsuits come as hundreds of school districts across the United States file similar lawsuits.
“A strong educational system is the foundation of our society and our community. “Social media products and the changes in behavior, judgment and attention they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” said Duncan Embury, head of litigation at Neinstein LLP. in the new statement.
“We are proud to support our schools and students in this litigation with the goal of holding social media giants accountable and creating meaningful change.”