Court rules in favour of school boards, denying social media giants' move to dismiss litigation

Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Leiper releases decision in School Boards v Meta et al., dismissing defendants motion to strike case

TORONTO, March 11, 2025 /CNW/ - On Friday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Leiper released a decision in School Boards v Meta et al., dismissing social media giants Meta, Snapchat and Tiktok's motion to dismiss the case.

Since March 2024, fourteen Ontario schools and boards initiated lawsuits against these tech giants for disrupting student learning and the education system. Social media giants brought a motion to strike the claim, however the courts saw merit in the school boards' case, allowing it to proceed.

"This is the first step in achieving justice for the education system, and ultimately the next generation of leaders," said Duncan Embury, Partner, Head of Litigation, Neinstein, the national civil-litigation firm leading the lawsuit on behalf of the school boards. "Now that we've been successful in this motion, the case can proceed to trial to hold social media giants accountable."

This is the first ruling of its kind in Canada where social media companies may owe a duty of care to schools both in negligence and nuisance. The decision stated, "The statistics, if true, and the methods and outcomes of social media on the learning environment reveal broad effects that impact not only the immediate access to the right to an education, but to the futures of many young people. It is arguable that an addictive product that interferes with the mental health and educational aspirations of students is a public nuisance that requires a remedy."

For over a year, the involved school boards, private schools and Neinstein have supported students through this litigation calling on social media giants to redesign their products to keep students safe. These changes, it is alleged, will result in a reduction in mental health harms to youth and disruptions to the education system. The lawsuit also seeks compensation on behalf of school boards for the losses related to tackling the crisis social media has created in our schools.

To learn more about the lawsuit and to follow developments, please visit the Schools for Social Media Change Alliance at https://schoolboardsforchange.ca.

 About Schools for Social Media Change
Schools for Social Media Change is a concerned group of school boards, Canadian leaders and organizations working together to strengthen our students' fundamental right to education. Social media products, designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave, and learn. Our schools are unfairly bearing the brunt of the learning and mental health epidemic caused by the negligent conduct of social media companies. The school boards listed on schoolsboardsforchange.ca have commenced legal action against social media giants for this disruption to student learning and the education system.

SOURCE Schools for Social Media Change

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