BLAINE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Another Whatcom County school district has joined the nationwide lawsuit against several social media platforms.

The Blaine School District Board of Directors voted Monday, Aug. 24, to join the suit against the parent companies of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and others.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that Bellingham Public Schools filed a short-form complaint against the companies earlier this month.

In a phone call, Blaine School District Superintendent Dan Chaplin cited similar reasons as BPS for joining the suit, including surveys that showed social media can negatively affect students’ health and well-being.

The suit, which includes roughly 2,000 other school districts, accuses the companies of designing their platforms to maximize screen time, which the schools say encourages addictive behavior. They claim that has resulted in emotional and physical harm, including death.

Meta could face a more than $1 trillion fine in the landmark trial, which began in California last week.