FOUR of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario have launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and SnapChat for disrupting student learning.

The lawsuits claim platforms social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are “designed for compulsive use, have rewired the way children think, behave, and learn” and teachers have been left to manage the fallout.

Meta Platforms Inc owns Facebook and Instagram, while Snap Inc owns SnapChat, and ByteDance Ltd owns TikTok.

Rachel Chernos, a trustee for the Toronto District School Board, said teachers and parents are noticing social withdrawal, anxiety, attention problems, cyberbullying and mental health issues.

“These companies have knowingly created programmes that are addictive, that are aimed and marketed at young people, and it is causing significant harm, and we just can’t stand by any longer and not speak up about it,” Ms Chernos said.

Dozens of US states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta Platforms Inc for harming young people and contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

The school boards in Canada suing are the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

They are seeking damages in excess of $4 billion Canadian dollars (£2.3bn) for disruption to student learning and the education system.

Duncan Embury, a lawyer for the firm representing the boards, said the companies have knowingly and negligently designed their products to maximise the amount of time young people spend on their platforms at the expense of their well-being and education.