Seattle's public schools are suing major social media companies like TikTok and Facebook, claiming they're contributing to a mental health crisis among students.
The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, says social media has contributed to anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying -- forcing schools to spend money on more resources and mental health professionals.
Tech giants including Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are all named as defendants in the suit.
"Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants' social media platforms," reads the 91-page lawsuit. "Worse, the content Defendants curate and direct to youth is too often harmful and exploitive."
The lawsuit claims the companies "affirmatively recommend and promote harmful content" such as pro-anorexia and eating disorders, or encouraging self-harm. It claims that children are particular susceptible to social media's "manipulative conduct" because their brains are not fully developed, and they "lack the same emotional maturity, impulse control and psychological resiliency" as other more mature users.
As a result, the number of students struggling with anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation continues to grow, according to the lawsuit. Students experiencing mental health issues perform worse in school, are less likely to attend school, more likely to engage in substance use, and to act out, the lawsuit notes, all of which "directly affects Seattle Public Schools’ ability to fulfill its educational mission."
"This mental health crisis is no accident," the suit says. "It is the result of the Defendants' deliberate choices and affirmative actions to design and market their social media platforms to attract youth."
Seattle Public Schools, which serves approximately 49,300 students at 106 schools, claims it has suffered widespread financial and operational harm from social media usage leading to a "marked increase" in the number of students in crisis, acting out and in need of mental health services.
The district was recently allocated $2 million for "behavioral health providers with prioritization of school-based services, mental health first aid for youth,
and suicide prevention for youth," but says it requires "significantly greater and long-term funding to address the nuisance Defendants have created."
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial, compensation for monetary damages and other penalties, such as preventing the defendants from "engaging in further actions causing or contributing to the public nuisance."
In statements to the Associated Press, Google and Snap said their platforms have programs and protocol in place to protect young users. Meta and TikTok did not respond to the outlet's requests for comment on the lawsuit.
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