HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — Hillsborough County Public Schools has joined a national lawsuit against social media companies.

The lawsuit claims students have developed an addiction and are being harmed by the use of social media. The district is also considering updating its policy on cell phone use in schools.

What You Need To Know

  • Hillsborough County Public Schools has joined a national lawsuit against social media companies

  • The lawsuit claims youth have developed an addiction and are being harmed by the use of social media

  • Lynn Gray, a school board member, aims to remove cell phones entirely from classrooms to ensure the safety of students

  • Updating Hillsborough’s cell phone policy to resemble Orange County’s "zero cell phones" policy is still being discussed, according to Gray

Lynn Gray, a school board member, aims to remove cell phones entirely from classrooms to ensure the safety of students. Meanwhile, Girls of the World Inc., a nonprofit, after-school program, has already adopted this approach and claims to have seen great results.

Hillsborough County Public Schools has become the 26th school district in Florida to join a national lawsuit against social media companies. The lawsuit alleges that companies such as Meta and TikTok are responsible for contributing to a mental health crisis among students.

Lea Manningham, CEO and founder of Girls of the World, wants to mentor youth and be a second set of eyes for parents concerned about social media.

“We’re giving them more than something to do. We are giving them life skills,” she said.

She established the nonprofit to offer mentorship and tools to enhance the self-esteem of young women. Her after-school program forbids cell phone use.

“This is a time where they could come, be creative, have that communication with one-on-one, being able to social with each other,” she said. “Because out in the world, they’re always on their phones.” 

Manningham said that today’s youth lack interpersonal skills. Her nonprofit provides various programs to help girls prepare for college and future careers. They also teach life skills, including financial management and sewing.

Manningham believes that students can spend their time after school more productively when they are not distracted by their phones.

Meanwhile, Gray paints a different picture of what students are dealing with in class.

“The students are addicted to the cell phones,” Gray said.

Gray said the school board is considering updating the district's cell phone policy after reviewing Orange County’s "zero cell phones" policy and potentially eliminating phone use during school hours.

“We have absolute examples of what happens when students are being vilified by what’s going on within their cell phones,” she said. “We’re seeing the anxiety, we’re seeing the bullying. We’re seeing the lack of focus academically.”

“It’s a great thing that the district is getting involved because kids are addicted to social media,” Manningham said. “You know what the parental guides and stuff like that, even when you have it on their phones, there’s just certain things that kids are still able to get into on these social media platforms.”

Gray said that the school district’s cell phone policy will require multiple workshops and further discussion before any changes can be made.