Meta and several major social media companies have reached a settlement in a landmark lawsuit brought by a rural Kentucky school district over claims that social media addiction harmed students’ mental health and education.
The case, filed by the Breathitt County School District, was considered a major test case among more than 1,200 similar lawsuits filed by school districts across the United States.
The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial next month in federal court in Oakland, California, before both sides agreed to settle. Earlier this week, the district also reached settlements with TikTok, Snap and YouTube.
Financial details of the settlements were not disclosed. The Kentucky district had sought more than $60 million to fund a proposed 15-year program designed to address mental health struggles, behavioral problems and learning disruptions allegedly linked to excessive social media use among students.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said their efforts will continue on behalf of the remaining school districts pursuing legal action against social media companies.
The settlement comes after a series of legal setbacks for Meta and YouTube in other cases involving claims of social media-related harm to children and teenagers.
Earlier this year, a California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for creating addictive platform features in a lawsuit brought by a young woman identified as KGM. The jury awarded approximately $6 million in damages after concluding that social media addiction worsened her mental health struggles during childhood.
In a separate case in New Mexico, a jury ruled that Meta violated state law by harming children’s mental health and safety through its platforms.
The growing wave of lawsuits reflects increasing national scrutiny over the impact of social media on young users, particularly concerns surrounding addiction, anxiety, depression and academic performance.
