An Ontario superior court has struck down social media giants’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought forward by several school boards that alleges their platforms disrupt student learning and the education system.
Schools for Social Media Change said on Tuesday that Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Leiper released her decision on Friday in the case of School Boards v Meta et al., dismissing the defendants’ motion to toss the case out.
The lawsuit was initially launched in March 2024 by four of Ontario’s largest school boards against social media tech giants Meta, Snapchat and TikTok. Since then, several more schools and boards have joined, bringing the total named in the lawsuit to 14, the group said.
The lawsuit alleges the tech giants disrupt student learning and the education system.
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The schools and boards are calling on the social media giants to “redesign their products to keep students safe.” The lawsuit also seeks compensation on behalf of school boards for the losses related to tackling the crisis social media has created in classrooms, Schools for Social Media Change said.
“Social media giants brought a motion to strike the claim, however the courts saw merit in the school boards’ case, allowing it to proceed,” Schools for Social Media Change wrote in a press release on Tuesday.
Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP is representing the boards and schools in the lawsuit.
“This is the first step in achieving justice for the education system, and ultimately the next generation of leaders,” said Duncan Embury, partner with Neinstein LLP.
Schools for Social Media Change describes itself as a concerned group of school boards, Canadian leaders and organizations working together to strengthen students’ fundamental right to education.
The allegations in the lawsuits have not been proven in court.
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