A lawsuit has been filed by the Oceanside and Coronado Unified school districts against the nation’s largest social media companies. The suit argues that their content algorithms and platform designs are addicting children and teens leading to anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Defendants include tech companies Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, YouTube and Google.
The complaint alleges the tech companies represent:
- Public Nuisance
- Negligence
- Gross Negligence
- Rico Conspiracy to Conduct the Affair of the Enterprise Through a Pattern of Racketeering Activity (18 U.S.C. § 1962)
A jury trail is requested.
The complaint suggests, “American youth are facing possibly the most severe mental health crisis in history. Along with the benefits of the rise of technology, also comes serious consequences. The major social media platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have spent millions to develop and market their products to minors, keeping them coming back for more, and significantly contributing to this mental health crisis.”
The lawsuit aims to protect 200,000 students just in San Diego County alone. Four local school districts and 12 others nationwide are hopeful for change.
Carlsbad, Oceanside, National City, and Ramona are now plaintiffs in a lawsuit just filed against all the major players. It alleges Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Youtube have caused a mental health crisis among youth.
“A 15-year-old was cyberbullied online. She couldn’t take it, and she hung herself at the school,” James Frantz said.
The deeply concerned Frantz Law Group is taking on the tech giants — and says these companies target kids and are knowingly harmful, manipulative, and addictive.
“It will be controlling their behavior, how they run their company and algorithms, and proving they’re not intentionally deceptive. Right now, there’s no one to control that,” he said.
Frantz says they’re eager to get their experts in the courtroom to talk about depression and addiction.
“Brain scans show an area lighting up when exposed to this. Similar to gambling.”
The lawsuit isn’t trying to eliminate social media but rather make them more responsible. A win for this team would mean transparency surrounding algorithms, money for educational materials that warn students about the possible dangers, and resources to address student mental health.
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