Tucson Unified School District is joining a lawsuit against social media companies, claiming theyβre a detriment to studentsβ mental health.
βWeβre going after the big guys,β said TUSD attorney Robert S. Ross., Jr. He mentioned social media giants including Meta, TikTok and Instagram.
The TUSD resolution says the U.S. surgeon general has issued an advisory that there are βgrowing concerns about the effects of social media on youth mental health.β
That advisory warns that βin early adolescence, brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions and peer comparison. ... Social media may perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls. ... There is a consistent relationship between excessive social media use and depression among youth,β the TUSD resolution says.
Governing board member Natalie Luna Rose called the authorization to sue βan important step,β saying, βit would show TUSD to be a leader in trying to keep our kids as safe as we can.β
Ross acknowledged it could be an uphill battle, comparing the social media suit to recent district lawsuits against e-cigarette companies.
βThese are defendants with probably deeper pockets than even JUUL,β Ross told the board Tuesday night. βWe can expect that the resistance will be significant.β
Ross estimated the litigation could take three to four years.
Hundreds of school districts nationwide, including more than 10 in Arizona, have joined such lawsuits, The Arizona Republic has reported. Arizonaβs largest school district, Mesa Public Schools, is among them.
TUSD recently participated in similar nationwide litigation by school districts against e-cigarette companies JUUL Labs and Altria Group (affiliated with Philip Morris).
Tucson Unifiedβs shares of those settlements were $10.6 million from JUUL and $3.2 million from Altria Group.
'TIME' reports that the United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has called for "immediate action" to shield the mental health of kids and adolescents on social media.
