Posted 3/20/24

Over 30 Tennessee school systems have joined in a lawsuit against social media companies, seeking protections for students.

The lawsuits seeks “actionable accountability, tools and resources to address the lack of protections, monitors, controls and cooperation to protect children,” according to a news release Tuesday.

The lawsuit names Meta, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Google, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

The lawsuit, now includes multiple Tennessee school systems, including Shelby County Schools, the largest public school system in the state, and locally Lincoln County Schools.

Giles County, Lawrence County, Maury County, and other local counties are yet to join the lawsuit.

The concern about the lack of proper protections and the negative impacts on children who use social media is clearly an important issue for school systems across the state.

The lawsuit claims they use algorithms and strategies like filters, likes and followers that hurt kid’s mental health because they’re always worried about their self-image.