In April, Oregon Gervais School District Superintendent, Dandy Stevens, wrote to the community that Gervais School District filed a lawsuit on March 30, 2023 against several social media giants.

Stevens writes, “In the last year, many of us have observed employees or former employees of various social media platforms testify before Congress subcommittees on how teens are targeted by these platforms using very sophisticated algorithms designed to constantly engage and even provoke our youth.”

The Gervais School District is suing Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Google and YouTube claiming social media hurts their students’ self-esteem and mental health encouraging engagement in destructive or vandalism aimed at district property, targeting of teachers and fellow students with follow-up posts meant to shame and cyberbully individuals. The lawsuit claims their “techniques are both particularly effective and harmful to the youth audience.”

“Additionally,” Stevens writes, “because of the extent and often extreme bullying, the district has seen an increase in the mental health issues of students in relation to body image, social standing, self-esteem, and friend groups to name a few. This requires significant time by counselors, teachers and administrators to address these situations which include working with parents on situations they are often not aware are occurring. Dealing with these issues takes time and financial resources away from the general operations of our buildings.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Stevens states they have two goals with this lawsuit. “The first is that we want social media platforms to make changes in how they design their programs and platforms so that the negative targeting of our youth, which often results in mental health and safety issues, stops. It is a constant barrage on our youth that is difficult for them to navigate in a healthy way. The other goal is that the district is seeking to bridge the gap between the resources we are having to use and the budget we have available.”

The district was approached about being a part of this litigation by attorneys Keller Rohrback LLP based in Seattle, the district felt it had the documentation and evidence to support that social media companies are causing harm to students. It will cost the district nothing if they lose, and any monies gained, the district will seek input on the spending priorities.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-05-19 11:07:47

Last Update: 2023-05-18 21:28:30