The Frantz Law Group filed a lawsuit this week suing social media companies on behalf of the Coronado Unified School District.
“This is an extremely, extremely important case,” said Attorney James P. Frantz. “It deals with protecting our youth … harmed significantly by these social media companies.”
The law firm held a press conference on Thursday morning with attorneys of the Social Media Litigation team to discuss the recent lawsuit on behalf of 16 school districts across the nation, including two in San Diego—Coronado Unified School District and Oceanside Unified School District.
The defendants include 15 social media companies such as Meta, Snap, TikTok and Alphabet.
The complaint alleges the defendants’ public nuisance, negligence, gross negligence, a racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act, and the pattern of racketeering activity.
The firm also issued a press release regarding the lawsuit filed that morning in Federal District Court in San Francisco County, alleging that social media companies are aware that their addictive products harm children’s mental health and safety, causing a mental health crisis among youth.
Social media dopamine loop
Frantz said that school districts are central to the apps’ social validation feedback loop targeting children, because schools are dealing with students’ symptoms of emotional and mental breakdowns.
“Dopamine is released in their brain, and they feel rewarded and validated,” Frantz said. “Social media companies know how to perpetuate those rewards.”
The litigation team said it aims to change control within the companies by implementing regulations on content projected to children across all platforms.
The suit seeks equitable relief for districts to fund prevention education programs that teach children about the dangers of social media, as well as treatment for excessive and problematic use of social media.
Regarding allocation of monetary compensation across districts, the litigation team said suits will be individually settled and factors like districts’ damage profile and district size will be a big part in determining what the clients will receive.
District advocacy for student safety
The Coronado Unified School District issued a statement regarding the Social Media Mass-Action Lawsuit following the press conference on Thursday.
“As multiple state and federal reports have recently concluded, there are harmful effects on young people related to use of social media. These adverse effects ultimately impact student academic and social development. This lawsuit reflects our commitment in Coronado Unified to advocate for the physical and emotional safety of our students, and to pursue any potential resources necessary to support them,” said CUSD Superintendent Karl Mueller.
