FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Fort Wayne Community Schools has joined a lawsuit against various social media platforms.

The district joins other school districts across the country in the lawsuit, that alleges that excessive social media use is harmful to the mental, behavioral, and emotional health of students.

A full statement from FWCS to WOWO News can be read below,

Fort Wayne Community Schools joined many other school districts across the country that are suing the companies that operate various social media platforms. The suit alleges that excessive use of social media is harmful to the mental, behavioral and emotional health of young people and is associated with increased rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders and suicide. Social media platforms are design to maximize the time users spend using them, and young people are susceptible to becoming addicted to their use. Like other school districts, FWCS has seen an increase number of students dealing with mental health issues, in part, because of overexposure to social media. FWCS and its employees spend a significant amount of time and resources addressing students’ mental health issues and providing counseling and educational services to students related to the harms caused by social media. By joining this lawsuit, we hope to send a message to social media companies that changes are needed to reduce the addictive qualities of social media and combat the elements of the platforms that are harmful to student mental health.