Author: Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Ontario school board lawsuits against social media giants including Meta, Snapchat and TikTok are seeking damages — money paid as a remedy — for the disruption of the educational system. A growing volume of evidence indicates that young people have become addicted to social media. It suggests social media platforms are designed to foster such addiction, that online activities contribute to behaviour such as bullying and harassment, and that excessive use of social networks can harm students’ mental health, even influencing suicide. Ontario school boards, speaking as a coalition called Schools for Social Media Change, argue “social media products, designed…