'Teachers are going to hate it': How social media apps hooked teens at school
2026-06-04
NZ Herald
The information displayed in the AIM should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries.
Internal documents reveal that Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube used AI-powered recommendation and notification systems to engage students during school hours, despite internal warnings. These practices contributed to mental health issues and academic disruption, prompting over 1,400 U.S. school districts to file lawsuits against the companies.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The article explicitly references AI-driven features such as recommendation algorithms on YouTube and TikTok, notification systems on Snapchat, and engagement strategies that exploit addictive design patterns. These AI systems have been used in ways that have directly harmed students' mental health, academic performance, and school operations, as evidenced by lawsuits and internal company documents. The harms include bullying, distraction, and undermining education, which fall under harm to communities and health. The involvement of AI in the development and use of these systems is clear, and the harms are realized, not just potential. Hence, this qualifies as an AI Incident rather than a hazard or complementary information.[AI generated]