MoCo Schools Join Mental Health Lawsuit Against Social Media Companies

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Public Schools joined a federal lawsuit against several social media companies this week, claiming apps like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat have created a mental health crisis among teenagers.

The state's largest school district joins 500 others across the nation that have accused the companies of intentionally hooking kids on platforms designed to be addictive, according to a news release by California-based Frantz Law Group.

The lawsuit filed in the San Francisco District Court claims social media companies have caused "a mental and emotional health crisis marked by higher proportions of anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, and low self-esteem among children and students."

As a result, "many (students) are further subjected to often harmful, exploitative and addictive content that encourages disorderly behavior, unhealthy social comparison, and cyberbullying," the news release states.

The news release announcing the lawsuit cites an advisory released in May by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In the advisory, Murphy touted research showing that at least one-third of girls between the ages of 11 and 15 say they feel "addicted" to specific social media platforms, while 46 percent of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 said social media makes them feel worse.

In the lawsuit, school districts seek financial compensation to fund resources and staffing needed to "mitigate the damage" among students.

Montgomery County Public Schools serves about 160,550 students in 210 schools.

Last month, Prince George's County Public Schools — the second-largest district in the state — filed a 200-page lawsuit in the District of Maryland accusing social media companies of public nuisance, negligence, and gross negligence.

In the lawsuit, school district officials accuse the companies of intentionally hooking kids on platforms designed to be addictive to increase profits.

"American children are suffering an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by Defendants' addictive and dangerous social media products," the lawsuit states. "Over the past decade, Defendants have relentlessly pursued a strategy of growth at all costs, recklessly ignoring the impact of their products on children's mental and physical health and well-being."