Huntley School District 158 joins national lawsuit against social media companies over harm to students

The Huntley School District 158 Board voted to join a national lawsuit against social media companies such as YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.

Other school systems in the area have taken similar action, including Cary School District 26 and Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155, which did so earlier this month.

The lawsuit “alleges that these companies have caused a mental health crisis among children and teenagers that is marked by higher proportions of anxiety, depression and thoughts of self-harm, all of which severely affect their ability to succeed in school,” according to a brochure by Frantz Law Group included in information provided to the District 158 board for its Jan. 18 meeting.

Interim Superintendent Jessica Lombard wrote in a memo to the board: “Social media has had an adverse impact on the mental health of children, especially young adults, across the nation that is creating a challenge that school districts are facing and having to address at an increasing rate.”

The agreement indicates that District 158 will not pay to join the lawsuit, but attorneys are entitled to 33% of anything the district might receive as a result of the lawsuit.

Board President Andy Bittman was the only board member who weighed in during the meeting, but the board voted unanimously to join the lawsuit.

“A lot of these social media companies do a very poor job of age verification, and they really shouldn’t be allowing people who are ... 12 and under on there,” Bittman said.

Lombard said in the memo that any money the district receives as a result of the lawsuit would go toward “staffing and resources to address the mental health needs of our students.”