A 24-year-old man from Montreal has filed a class-action complaint, alleging that the highly addictive features of multiple popular social media networks have caused serious harm. In the lawsuit, a Canada man sues prominent firms like Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit, highlighting growing worries about the detrimental effects of social media on mental health.

The complainant claims that since he started using social media in 2015, his prolonged use has resulted in a bad self-image and diminished productivity. He used to spend up to four hours a day on these sites, but now he only uses them for roughly two hours. Even with this decrease, he still has problems, especially with his sleep and general productivity.

Canada man sues
Image Source: Meta

Legal Team’s argument

Lambert Avocats, the legal team, argues that these networks are designed to manipulate users' dopamine levels, making them extremely addictive. They contend that this addiction has serious consequences for mental health, especially for younger audiences.
A court decision is still pending on the lawsuit, which charges these social media giants with purposefully creating addictive products and putting profit and engagement ahead of the well-being of its users.

People are expected to spend 500 million years on social media collectively by 2024, according to Philippe Brault of Lambert Avocats. The fact that more than half of Canadian kids between the ages of seven and eleven routinely utilise these platforms serves to highlight the seriousness of the problem.
According to Brault, "“The defendants created these platforms with addiction in mind, ignoring the adverse effects on users. It’s vital for people to grasp the risks of prolonged social media use."

The social networking sites in question insist that users utilise their services freely. They contend that in the event of negative effects, users have the ability to manage their involvement levels or even deactivate their accounts. This lawsuit still needs judicial approval, therefore the outcome is still up in the air. Lambert Avocats is requesting punitive as well as compensatory damages for the plaintiff and any additional parties who might have experienced comparable harm.

School Boards' Claims

There is a larger legal trend that includes the Montreal lawsuit. Similar cases have been brought by a number of school boards in Ontario against TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat on the grounds that they interfere with the educational process and harm students' mental health. These claims, which claim the firms have put profit ahead of the welfare of students, are requesting $4.5 billion in damages.

The school boards in Ontario contend that the platforms' addictive qualities have put an unreasonable amount of pressure on teachers, who now have to deal with the fallout from students' excessive usage of social media. Their March filings accuse the digital behemoths of seriously disrupting education by putting profit before the welfare of their students.

Political discussion has also been sparked by the cases. Premier of Ontario Doug Ford has denounced these legal measures, calling them "nonsense" and an attempt to divert attention away from important goals in education. Ford said during a news conference, “We need to focus on math, reading, and writing. Let’s invest in our children, not spend resources battling these companies."

Ford's comments are indicative of a larger political scepticism over the viability of these lawsuits, especially when they target well-funded internet companies.

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