Westport schools joining nationwide lawsuit against social media giants
WESTPORT – The Westport School District is joining a nationwide lawsuit against social media giants like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Aubin told WBZ-TV that it's his job to protect students.
"We can see the detrimental effect that social media has had, particularly in our young women," Aubin said.
The countless hours of scrolling and double-tapping, at times has students sacrificing sleep and school work.
"Six hours is the same amount of time we're in school, so I think that's a large amount of time to spend on social media," said Westport High School senior Lindsey Gaughan.
Many Westport High School seniors say they spend more time on apps like TikTok and Snapchat than they'd like to admit. It's impacting their body image.
"If you don't fit into a box that they're promoting on social media, it in turn makes you feel like you're not good enough. It can support depression, anxiety, eating disorder," Gaughan said.
That feeling inspired Gaughan's senior project. She polled her classmates on the impacts of social media on teens' mental health.
"Seventy percent of students said that they hesitate to post online due to the fear of being judged and not looking good enough for everybody else," she said.
Despite the added pressure, many teens can't seem to put their phones down.
"It's a habit now, so it's kind of like an addiction more than a choice," senior Kyleigh Finglas said.
That's why the superintendent is taking legal action.
"We have an obligation to make sure our district is compensated for the negative impact that social media has done. It requires more counseling, human capital," Aubin said. "That's a price that our taxpayers shouldn't have to be burdened with."
There's also an emotional element – making sure Gen Z, that teenagers understand the long-term impacts social media can have.
"This is mind-boggling and in my opinion is a crisis that needs to be addressed," Aubin said.