Group of Ontario school boards says lawsuits against social media giants can proceed [Video]

A group of Ontario school boards said Tuesday its legal fight against Meta, Snapchat and TikTok will proceed after a judge struck down the social media giants’ motion to dismiss the case.

Since March 2024, 14 Ontario school boards and individual schools have initiated lawsuits against the social media companies, alleging the platforms are negligently designed for compulsive use and have rewired the way children think, behave and learn.

Schools for Social Media Change, the group of plaintiffs, said in a press release Tuesday the court’s denial of the tech giants’ motion for dismissal means the case can proceed to trial.

“This is the first step in achieving justice for the education system, and ultimately the next generation of leaders,” said Duncan Embury, a lawyer at the Toronto firm Neinstein, which is heading up the litigation.

Among the plaintiffs are some of the province’s largest school boards, including the public …