Pittsburgh Public Schools to sue social media platforms over marketing
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Schools is looking to sue social media platforms. They believe the marketing targets children and has caused mental health problems for the students.
According to Pittsburgh Public Schools Solicitor Ira Weiss, the district spent millions addressing the needs of students. Their lawsuit follows that of other school districts in the country against these companies.
Social media has been credited with keeping people connected, but its dark side has caused havoc on teens.
"The abuse of social media largely due to the way it's marketed is having negative impacts on children," Weiss said.
Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to file a lawsuit in federal court against all social media platforms – like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. They said other school districts like Seattle have sued as well. PPS said social media contributed to learning loss and increased levels of misbehaving.
"There's no question that there is a connection between all of this and this activity," Weiss said over Zoom.
Child experts say 96% of teens are on social media. Many are on it for extended periods of time, putting them at risk for problems.
"So the greatest risk for these kids using it 6, 8, 10, 12 hours a day," AHN Child Psychiatrist Dr. Gary Swanson said.
The teachers union is all for the district suing. It said students will get into fights on the platforms and bring their issues into the schools.
"This has to stop. School is too important. Education is too important," Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito Visgitis said.
For teens who are still developing their brains, they are more vulnerable to the negatives of social media.
"They're not always able to think about what's going on and appreciate some of the dangers or problems that are there," Dr. Swanson said.
Pittsburgh Public is working with two outside law firms on this case. They believe this case is similar to that of the vaping lawsuits for targeting young adults.
"It's a very similar kind of a theory and the analogy is there," Weiss said.
The district plans to file the lawsuit in federal court within 60 days.
