PASD only Peninsula district to join social media lawsuit

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District is the lone public school district on the North Olympic Peninsula to join a class-action lawsuit against social media companies.

The Port Angeles School Board at its March 29 meeting agreed to be represented by Frantz Law Group in the suit, which alleges that companies like Facebook, TikTok, Snap and YouTube have caused a “mental health crisis among children and teenagers,” according to a letter the legal group sent the districts.

The San Diego firm is the same one that represented the North Olympic Peninsula districts in the Juul lawsuit.

Declined to join

Districts that declined to join the class-action social media lawsuit cited the time-intensive nature of preparations for the Juul lawsuit and what they saw as a having to prove the less definitive link between social media and worsening teen’s mental health than the one between vaping and physical harm.

“It feels to us like it’s a bit nebulous,” Sequim Superintendent Regan Nickels said. “We do recognize that social media can have very positive effects as well, so it didn’t seem as obvious as the Juul settlement did to pursue.”

Chimacum Superintendent Scott Mauk said that after its experience in the Juul lawsuit, Chimacum declined to join as well.

“It’s just a lot more work and it’s not as clear-cut,” Mauk said. “That’s not to diminish the harm of social media, but the Juul case was pretty straightforward.”

That was Crescent Superintendent Dave Bingham’s take as well. Bingham said that after weighing the investment of his time putting together the information Frantz needed for the lawsuit against the district’s settlement — which after Frantz took its cut would leave it about $6,660 — was simply not worth it. Especially when there was no guarantee the plaintiffs would prevail in a case that seemed to him must less certain than the Juul case.

PASD Superintendent Marty Brewer acknowledged drawing a line between vaping and the risks to teen health was more clear than proving social media use caused mental distress, but said he nonetheless agreed with the school board’s 4-1 decision to join the lawsuit. (Board member Katie Marks was the only dissenting vote).

“This one is not nearly as cut and dry,” Brewer said. “But it’s an issue that we have to tackle and maybe this lawsuit will bring enough attention to that and have some resources to tackle it as an educational organization. The social media experience is larger than the hours of the school day, so there needs to be a more broad-based community attempt to create a healthy experience for our young adults.”

There is no such thing as a social media detector like there is a vaping detector.”

________

Paula Hunt can be reached at 360-425-2345, ext. 50583, or by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Rear Admiral Charles E. Fosse, right, U.S. Coast Guard District 13 commander, was the guest speaker at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Angeles’ annual Veterans Day celebration on Monday. Chaplain Mike VanProyen, left, and Kelly Higgins, the commanding officer at Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, also participated in the ceremony. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Hundreds gather in Port Angeles to honor service members

High school band, choral groups highlight event

Former Marine Joseph Schwann of Port Townsend smiles as he receives a Quilt of Valor from Kathy Darrow, right, and another member of Quilts of Valor during the Veterans Day event at the American Legion Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post 26 in Port Townsend on Monday. Group leader Kathey Bates, left, was the emcee of the event. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Quilts of Valor

Former Marine Joseph Schwann of Port Townsend smiles as he receives a… Continue reading

Port Townsend ethics complaint dismissed

Officer examines argument on open meetings

Friends of the Library to host annual meeting

The Port Angeles Friends of the Library will conduct… Continue reading

Peninsula College to stage ‘The Thanksgiving Play’

Peninsula College will present its production of “The Thanksgiving… Continue reading

Ceramic sculpture “Flora-Fauna” by Thomas Connery.
Library to host reception for ‘Second Look’ exhibition

The North Olympic Library System will host a reception… Continue reading

Sequim City Council members finalized through their consent agenda to ban the sale of fireworks effective October 2025. They held a public hearing last month that garnered mostly support for the ban. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim finalizes ban on fireworks

Ordinance change will go into effect next October

Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group
Rich Krebsbach, manager of the Highland Irrigation District, asks questions of Rhiana Barkie, Clallam County public works project coordinator. The map is one of four new options for the Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir project. Public input is being taken through the county’s website at https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/188/Dungeness-Off-Channel-Reservoir-Project.
Sequim reservoir project draws crowd, questions

Clallam County, FEMA public comment period open through Nov. 21

Christmas gift inspires playground cleanup

Veteran volunteer collects playground metal

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

World War II veteran Arthur Bradow, right, and his daughter Barbara Cason admire a quilt sewn by his niece for his 100th birthday on Dec. 13. Bradow served in the Merchant Marine in the Pacific Theater of Operations and stateside in the U.S. Army Air Forces. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Veteran has 100 years’ worth of experience

Looks back at long life and wealth of knowledge