Neinstein’s case against Meta, Snapchat and TikTok on behalf of Ontario students

Michael Wolkowicz on tech accountability and the law’s role in driving change  First, it was tobacco. Then it was asbestos. Now, social media is “the biggest social issue of our time,” says Michael Wolkowicz, Partner and Head of Mass Torts at Neinstein LLP. Wolkowicz is one of the lawyers taking on Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok on behalf of multiple Ontario school boards, and he believes the lawsuit is in good company. “There’s a myriad of past examples where litigation like the one we’ve embarked on was the primary catalyst for change. That remains for us the key goal in all of this, and the goal of our clients.” When old law meets new tech Neinstein issued the claim against the tech giants in early 2024, alleging two overarching torts: negligence — including variations such as negligent product design — and public nuisance. The defendants in February 2025 sought to dismiss the claim on a Rule 21 motion, citing failure to disclose a viable cause of action, but Wolkowicz and his team were successful in resisting it at the Superior Court. “The statistics, if true, and the methods and outcomes of social media on the learning environment reveal broad effects that
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