I've rarely ever heard of a School District being on the side of children. Usually it's to push lib ideals.

TikTok is a major mind bender for children. Do parents know that they have Tranny (soft) porn on there? Doubtful. Where do they think little Johnny gets those kinds of ideas at 9 or 10 years old?

Social media causes feelings of insecurity - low self-esteem, failure, anxiety attacks when they can't measure of to the fakeness, extreme bullying, predators, mind-bending viral trends, teaching them to become introverted and more.

Nationwide lawsuit..

Lynda

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Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.

(TNS) — As local school districts join a nationwide lawsuit against some of the largest social media companies, the educational leaders aim to bring awareness to the negative effects these apps and sites have on teenagers and children and hold the businesses accountable.

“We’re alleging the public nuisance legal theory, which allows government entities to hold companies liable for unique damages caused by a company’s conduct,” said Ronald Repak, partner at Dillon McCandless King Coulter and Graham, LLP.

He and the firm represent nearly 30 regional school districts and have encouraged each to join the suit against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and similar companies.

“I do believe that social media has significantly contributed to mental health issues in our children,” Blacklick Superintendent William Kanich said. “Currently, there are no or limited measures or restrictions in place to assist parents in monitoring what children have access to via social media. Additionally, some of the challenges put out there have resulted in personal and property damage.”

These social media challenges are part of the crux of the lawsuit, which is being organized by the Frantz Law Group — a firm local districts worked with during the litigation against JUUL last year.

Repak said damaged district properties are a serious concern for educational leaders because those can be costly repairs. Greater Johnstown dealt with the situation last year when a group of students caused significant damage to a bathroom allegedly as part of a challenge.

Other dares that schools across the country have dealt with are attacks on staff that get recorded and posted for clout.

Other allegations against the platforms consist of inadequate age verification measures, insufficient parental controls, inescapable notifications, and it’s believed, Repak said, these companies’ algorithms target students.

The mental health effect on teens has gained growing attention since the COVID-19 pandemic when social media saw increased use.

During that time, it was discovered some companies, such as Instagram’s parent company Meta, were well aware of the negative effects these products had on youth, especially women.

Additionally, in 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General declared national advisory about youth mental health, blaming in-part social media for the issues, Repak said.

“I am old enough to have been in education pre-social media and internet and have observed first hand the increase in issues that students face,” Kanich said. “Before social media, students could leave school and get a break from the constant interaction, but now it is 24/7 with what they are getting bombarded with. They need time to decompress, gather their thoughts and get away from the constant information.”

He also alleged the algorithms are designed to get students to continually scroll or use each app endlessly.