We are representing school districts across the country that have filed lawsuits against social media companies over the costs associated with supporting students’ increasing needs for mental, behavioral, and emotional health resources. School districts are on the frontlines of a nationwide youth mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media products. With so many young people in turmoil, schools have been forced to divert crucial resources to help students in need of mental health services.
Our attorneys are currently representing 20 school boards in Maryland, South Carolina, and Florida. These schools have seen their students struggle with social media addiction and a mental health crisis leading to distracted students, increased absences, more children diagnosed with ADHD, and even physical damage to the school campuses.
Our goal in these cases is to hold social media companies accountable for the harm they cause and also obtain the necessary funding for districts for prevention education and mental health services.
Social Media Addiction
American children and teenagers are facing an unprecedented mental health epidemic, with top researchers and government agencies observing a dramatic increase in youth mental health crises over the course of the last decade. According to the most recent data from the CDC’s bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in 2021, 42% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, up from 28% in 2011.
This decline in youth mental health has been directly correlated with the widespread adoption of social media. The connection here is an overuse of social media caused by apps designed to addict kids. Social media companies are intentionally designing their products to keep children engaged as long as possible and, in many cases, leading them to dangerous content affecting their mental health. Teens and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the catastrophic effects of social media addiction, including depression, self-harm, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and injury of suicide.
To seek justice and hold these social media giants accountable, we are now turning to our justice system to pressure social media companies to address the physical and psychological harm children have suffered as a result of social media addiction.
News Coverage
Prince George’s County Public Schools Join Litigation Against Social Media Giants for Negative Impact on Student Mental Health
“What we’re dealing with is the four major social media platforms who really have infiltrated teenage students and children in middle school with algorithms, and certainly with design features, that have brought content that have led to children becoming addicted to social media,” Philip Federico, an attorney representing the school district, told News4.
According to Federico, schools have seen “image problems, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and the like” as a result of “social media addiction.”
Source: News4
Howard County Schools Sue Social Media Companies Over Impact to Student Mental Health
“Across the nation, school systems like Howard County encounter the difficulty of catering to students’ needs while providing an exceptional education and cultivating a positive learning environment,” said Philip Federico, an attorney representing the school board.
“This lawsuit is an effort to make social media companies liable for their contribution to the mental health crisis in young people, and to reimburse the Howard County Public School System for the financial strain caused by the defendants’ exploitative platforms.”
Source: CBS News
Additional Article: ABC News Baltimore
Harford County Public School Files Lawsuit Against Social Media Giants
Source: CBS News Baltimore
Maryland Schools File Lawsuit Blaming Social Media for Youth Mental Health Crisis
Source: WMAR 2 News Baltimore
Maryland School District Sues Meta, Google, and TikTok Over ‘Mental Health Crisis’
Source: The Verge
How We Can Help You
Social media companies including Meta, Google, ByteDance, and Snap, which own and operate the largest social media platforms in the world are facing wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits. This litigation is filed on behalf of minors affected by severe mental and physical harms caused by their products, including mental health problems, eating disorders, and suicide.
We are currently representing school districts in South Carolina and Maryland, including Harford County Public Schools. The lawsuits seek both monetary damages and injunctive relief, which would require social media companies to make changes to their addictive algorithms and other adjustments to the designs of their products.
BMBFC attorneys are reviewing these accusations to help support impacted children, families, and schools in their search for answers. BMBFC is prepared to help hold social media companies accountable.