JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two local school districts have now joined hundreds of others around the country in filing lawsuits against the major social media platforms saying they have a role in the mental health crisis among children in the country.
The Duval and Putnam school districts have filed federal suits against the owners of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube, accusing them of exploiting the developing minds of children.
At the same time, the American Psychological Association is calling on the platforms to take responsibility, to protect youth.
RELATED: Gov. DeSantis signs social media ban for children under 14
The health and safety of more than 130,000 Duval and Putnam County students is being put at risk by social media sites according to a team of lawyers who filed these two, 100-page lawsuits in federal court.
Both school districts allege that social media companies are targeting children, realizing that if they can hook them at a young age with their algorithms they will have them on their platforms for life.
Lawyers say their research shows that social media websites exploit the “same neural circuitry” as gambling or recreational drugs.
It’s something licensed clinical social worker and owner of River Shores Counseling Lori Goodman said she’s seen firsthand.
“It’s been shown to lead to depression and anxiety increased levels. In some situations, suicide attempts, dropping out of school, I mean, it’s not common, but it has been reported. And it can definitely lead to a lot of mental health issues, doing worse in school,” she said.
Goodman says she agrees with researchers cited in the lawsuit that argue the human brain isn’t fully developed until 25 years old. So having a major influencer like social media be a big part of brain development is detrimental to a child’s critical thinking.
The lawyers cited a Surgeon General’s advisory from last year that said: “Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.”
“One-third or more of girls aged 11-15 say they feel ‘addicted’ to certain social media platforms and over half of teenagers report that it would be hard to give up social media,” the advisory goes on to say.
Locally attorneys say Florida school boards have experienced an increasing prevalence and severity of anxiety, depression, self-harm and aggressive behavior.
MORE: How to combat social media addiction in children, teens
Goodman says social media also creates what appears to be the acceptable standard, that’s even harder to obtain for young girls.
“Studies have shown that, especially for young girls, that their self-esteem can plummet when using social media, because there’s so much comparison to other girls. And a lot of times those girls are using filters. So it’s not even a real image that they’re seeing,” Goodman said.
One of the attorneys who prepared the lawsuit said they are seeking an injunction against social media platforms from continuing the algorithms that they use that hook the kids into the spiral.
The lawyers also represent 15 other school districts including the City of Baltimore and Chicago.
For their part, the American Psychological Association calls on social media platforms to make changes, saying steps like age restrictions and parental controls aren’t enough.
The Terrell Hogan Law Firm represents Duval County Public Schools and other Northeast and Central Florida school boards against certain social media corporations and issued a statement: “One goal is to recover costs incurred to address harms to students by the defendants’ social media platforms. A further goal is to make the future safer for children by changing the way social media platforms operate. The school boards’ lawsuits have been filed in the Jacksonville Division of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and are subject to transfer to the Northern District of California which was selected by the Federal Multidistrict Litigation Panel.”