Durham School Board joins lawsuit against several social media companies
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Alongside 60 other school boards, Durham Public Schools has joined the lawsuit against several social companies.
The lawsuit alleges that companies like Meta, Google and Snapchat are negatively impacting the mental health of students. It seeks financial compensation to "alleviate the strain on school resources."
Back in February, the Wake County Board of Education voted to join in filing the lawsuit.
"Through this lawsuit, our board is seeking two outcomes for the benefit of our students. First, we're seeking to push social media platforms to immediately adopt common-sense protections for minors to protect their health and well-being in the future and to end (exploitative) practices that harm students. These companies play a significant role in our society and have a duty to act responsibly in our collective goal to protect young people," Chris Heagarty said.
He is the chair of the Wake County Board of Education.
"Second," he continued, "we aim to hold these billion-dollar corporations accountable for their role in creating the need for the resources we've put into addressing a crisis that has severely impacted our students and learning environment. Our ultimate goal is always to provide support and the highest quality education for our students, and this litigation is an important step in doing that."
WCPSS said it and many other districts across the state are struggling to provide sufficient mental health resources to students as rates of depression, anxiety, threats and violence, and suicidal ideation rise.
Cumberland, Johnston and Moore County Schools are among the other school boards to join the lawsuit.
