In July 2023, after months of investigation, Baltimore City Public Schools (“City Schools”) filed pathbreaking litigation against the companies that own five major social media platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and Facebook.
City Schools’ Lawsuit Against Social Media Platforms
City Schools filed this litigation because we believe that the health of our students is critical to their academic and personal growth. Social media platforms can reduce the negative effects of social media, but so far, they have prioritized profits over safety. City Schools sued to urge these companies to do what they would not otherwise do themselves: make their platforms safer and pay for past and future costs associated with addressing the harms of our students’ excessive social media use.
In this lawsuit, City Schools is joined by hundreds of other school districts in Maryland and across the nation. At the request of these companies, the Federal Court ordered City Schools and other school districts to disclose some student records to the lawyers and a limited number of experts in this case. To learn more about the lawsuit and your rights as a parent or guardian to object to disclosing your student’s records, please view the Court’s order at this link.
More information and FAQs are provided below.