Four of Ontario's largest school boards are suing the world’s social-media giants, alleging the companies’ “addictive” platforms are disrupting student learning, contributing to a mental health crisis and leaving teachers to manage the fallout.
Simply put, the school boards blame Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok for causing chaos in the classroom, and they want compensation for the damage done — to the tune of $4.5-billion.
“The fallout of compulsive use of social media amongst students is causing massive strains on the four school boards’ finite resources, including additional needs for in-school mental health programming and personnel, increased IT costs, and additional administrative resources,” the plaintiffs wrote this week in a joint news release.
“The goal of the litigation is to provide school boards with the resources needed to support student programming and services, and to respond to the school-based problems social media giants have caused.”
It will be months — years, more likely — before these lawsuits are resolved. In the meantime, parents, teachers and other education stakeholders are starting to ask the same question: Is it time for an outright ban on cellphones on school property?
The Toronto District School Board is already examining that possibility, saying a “strong policy is needed that better supports teachers, is enforceable, and, ultimately, supports student well-being and academic achievement.”
Where do you stand? Do you think cellphones should be outlawed on all school property in Sault Ste. Marie?
Fill out the poll below and we’ll share the results with our local school boards.
Want to hear an interesting discussion about teenage cellphone use? Check out this recent episode of our Inside the Village podcast featuring Katherine Martinko, author of Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance.