About a dozen Long Island school districts have sued the big social media companies, claiming the platforms are hurting students’ mental health. Defendants in the lawsuit include Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, Snap and Google.

The lawsuit calls the social media platforms “addictive and dangerous,” and alleges schools have spent significant funds to counter the damage they’ve caused.

Long Island school districts named as plaintiffs include South Huntington, Kings Park, Jericho, Great Neck, Port Jefferson, East Islip, North Merrick, Bellmore-Merrick, Merrick, Islip, Brentwood and Westbury. Hebrew Academy of Nassau County is also filing suit.

In response, a spokesperson for Snap wrote,

“Snapchat was intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media, with a focus on helping Snapchatters communicate with their close friends. Snapchat opens directly to a camera – rather than a feed of content – and has no traditional public likes or comments. We will always have more work to do, and will continue to work to make Snapchat a platform that helps close friends feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence."

News 12 is waiting for responses from Meta, TikTok and Google.