Centennial Joins Lawsuit Against Social Media Companies

WARMINSTER, PA —The Centennial School District is joining more than 500 school districts across the country in taking legal action against social media companies that they say are causing harm to students.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the Centennial School Board authorized the administration to enter into an Attorney-Client Fee Contract with the Frantz Law Group, ALPC, Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham, LLP, and Levin Legal Group to take legal action against social media companies.

School officials said Centennial is joining schools nationally in the lawsuit against META (Facebook), Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and other social media companies for allegedly causing harm to students that use those platforms.

"Centennial School District is committed to ensuring our students' best possible physical and mental well-being," Schools Superintendent Dana Bedden said in a statement issued by the school district Wednesday.

Bedden said that the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in May about the effects that social media use has on our youth's mental health.

"Given his indication that there is growing evidence that the use of social media is associated with harm to young people's mental health, the administration requested, and the board approved,
that Centennial joins the lawsuit," the superintendent said.

Bedden said the lawsuit is intended to have social media platforms address their practices that "contribute to and/or cause addiction and emotional distress to students which have negatively impacted the educational process and student learning.”