According to multiple Thursday reports, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSs) is filing a lawsuit against several Silicon Valley titans of industry, claiming that social media is having a debilitating effect on its students.
The Frantz Law Group of California, working with the Tennessee law firm Lewis Thomason, filed the lawsuit the week of May 8, according to ClarksvilleNow.com. The defendants in the suit include Facebook, Google, Instagram, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube.
“There are a litany of issues caused by children using social media without proper protections in place,” Lewis Thomason attorney Chris McCarty reportedly said. “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.”
According to the lawsuit, the social media companies are giving easy access to age inappropriate materials to children.
It also claims that social media is driving mental illness in 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.”
CMCSS Director Jean Luna-Vedder said that the corporations must chip in to help deal with these serious issues.
“Over the past few years, we have observed and experienced a rise in mental health issues, threats of school violence, cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and other challenges, damages and disruptions linked to students’ use of social media — and the lack of protections and controls thereof,” she said. “Without cooperation and support from social media companies, CMCSS has been fighting an uphill battle. We need to protect our children, our schools and our society.”
Social media has taken a toll on CMCSS in the past few years.
In 2021, a viral TikTok trend of posing with a cell phone in such a position that the phone looks like a firearm, began at West Creek High School. Fifty students were suspended for that incident, including the sophomore who began the trend, which earned him more than half a million “likes” on TikTok.
In the same year, a viral trend encouraging property damage took hold at CMCSS schools, reportedly causing $20,000 worth of property damage.
The school district is encouraging other districts nationwide to join the suit by contacting Lewis Thomason.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
