ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — School districts in more than 30 states are suing social media companies claiming they have a negative impact on students.
Rockingham County Schools is the latest to join the list.
District leaders said deciding to sue social media giants is an important step to protect students and their mental health.
In December, the Rockingham County School board voted to join a national lawsuit against companies like Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and TikTok.
The school district claims studies show there's a connection between excessive social media use and negative effects on student mental health such as anxiety and depression.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services students who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to develop mental health problems. Surveys show teenagers spend an average of 3.5 hours on social media a day.
Brooke Beeson has a middle school daughter in the district.
She commends school leaders for taking this step. She said she's seen social media add stress to the middle school environment.
"In a time when they should be focused on far more important things they are focusing on comparison in terms of social media. They're subjected to bullying," Beeson said. "Every mistake you make is recorded and shared with hundreds of people. It's really terrible circumstance that our kids are subjected to."
District superintendent John Stover said bullying is happening in schools every day and it carries over to social media.
As for the lawsuit, Stover said it isn't about money but about getting social media companies' attention and working with them to come up with solutions.
"To find common sense initiatives and measures to limit access for kids," stover said. "Have them be apart of teaching our kids about the pluses and minuses of social media and when to stop."
Stover said lawyers are recruiting other school districts before submitting paperwork.