Schools say kids are compulsively using social media. But experts say they learned from the best

What happens when the generation of kids whose parents shared all their milestones online gets older and starts using social media themselves?

Several Ontario school boards are suing some of the largest social media companies, alleging the way they're designed has negatively rewired the way children think and behave.

But some experts say the onus is also on parents to reflect on their own social media use.

Not only are parents modelling social media habits to their children with their own excessive use — half of the parents surveyed in a new study admitted spending too much time on their phones, for instance — but they're also sharing information about their own kids online, said Emma Duerden, an assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in neuroscience and learning disorders at Western University.

"They're showing their children, 'This is what you do as an adult.'"

And those children are learning that their parents are getting a lot of attention from it, she said.

On Thursday, four major Ontario school boards announced they're seeking $4.5 billion in total damages from Meta Platforms, Snap and ByteDance, which respectively operate Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

The allegations have not been proven in court. CBC Toronto has reached out to the companies named for comment. In a statement, Snap said that its platform was designed to be different from traditional social media, without the typical likes or public comments.

A TikTok spokesperson highlighted the platform's safeguards, such as parental controls.

"Our team of safety professionals continually evaluate emerging practices and insights to support teens' well-being and will continue working to keep our community safe," the spokesperson said in an email statement.

In a news release, the school boards alleged students' heavy use of social media is causing an "attention, learning and mental health crisis."

"The intricately crafted and inherently addictive nature of social media platforms can hamper a student's capacity to absorb knowledge," Brendan Browne, director of education for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said in the news release.

But it's not just kids being drawn in by the addictive nature of social media.

Earlier this month, Pew Research Center released a report on how parents and teens approach screen time after polling a dyad of 1,453 U.S. teens aged 13 to 17, and their parents.