Dear York Catholic District School Board families,
Today, the York Catholic District School Board announced that we are joining the lawsuit against tech giants Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok for disruption to student learning and the education system. We, alongside ten other Ontario schools and boards, allege that these companies have negligently designed and marketed addictive products that have disrupted our board’s mandate and obligation to enhance student achievement and well-being.
As parents, many of you know firsthand the impact that social media products have had on students. In fact, it’s rewiring the way that they think, act, behave, and learn. As a result, educators are spending increased classroom time managing issues caused by social media, administrators are forced to rework curriculum to meet the adapting needs of a student body with significant attention, focus, and mental health concerns, and the changing behavioural dynamics of the student population are causing significant shifts in the educational landscape and huge strains on school boards’ finite resources.
The impact of social media products on student learning is a multifaceted problem that requires a multipronged approach. This action will work in concert with new policy proposed by the provincial government to limit devices in the classroom. Restricting the use of devices in schools is one piece of the puzzle, but as we know, compulsive social media use outside the classroom will continue to permeate the education system and impact student learning.
While still in its early stages, this litigation calls on social media giants to make their products safer, to compensate our board for its disruption to our mandate, and to support our students’ fundamental right to education.
For more information and to follow updates in the litigation, please follow www.schoolboardsforchange.ca.
Yours in Catholic Education,
Elizabeth Crowe John De Faveri
Chair of the Board Interim Director of Education