BOSTON (WHDH) - The City of Boston has filed a lawsuit against several popular social media platforms on behalf of Boston Public Schools which says they are seeing an increase in mental health needs among students, which they are tying directly back to social media use.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the companies mentioned in the lawsuit, including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, are deliberately target minors with “addictive features.” She notes infinite scrolling, constant notifications, and algorithms designed to keep young people hooked on their platforms as some of those features. Wu said those features harm the mental health of children.
“Social media companies have evidence of the harm they are causing to our kids by designing platforms that keep them hooked in endless scrolling and monetizing engagement at the expense of their mental health,” Wu said. “Boston is taking legal action to protect children and youth and hold these companies accountable. Today, we are making it clear that social media companies must end exploitative practices and be accountable to standards of basic protection for children.”
“Boston Public Schools provides critical mental health services for young people in our community through our counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses who have gone above and beyond to meet increasing student needs,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “We work hard to set our students on the best course for success through rigorous academics and whole-student supports, and the research is clear that social media has had a negative impact on students’ well-being while benefiting companies. We all need to do what is right for our students.”
A spokesperson from Meta released a statement, saying, “We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people. For over a decade, we’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re always working to do better.”
“There are now more than 1,500 school districts across the country that have filed different legal claims. We see the impacts in our classrooms, we hear the impacts from young people. In the mental health, in the time, in the algorithms that are used that are really intended to avoid basic protections for children,” Wu said.
The lawsuit demands the companies remove the allegedly addictive features and pay the City of Boston for the mental health resources students are in need of.
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