Meta settles Kentucky school district lawsuit over social‑media harms

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Breathitt County School District in rural eastern Kentucky. The district had claimed that Meta’s platforms were designed to be addictive and had caused a mental‑health crisis among its students. The settlement, whose financial terms were not disclosed, was reached on the same day that TikTok, Snap and Google’s YouTube also settled similar claims with the district.

The Kentucky case was chosen as a bellwether among roughly 1,200 lawsuits filed by school districts across the United States seeking compensation for costs associated with students’ social‑media addiction, sleep problems, anxiety, depression and self‑harm. The district had asked for more than $60 million to fund a 15‑year mental‑health program and to compel the platforms to modify their algorithms. By settling, the companies avoided a trial in federal court in Oakland, California, and the release of internal documents.

The settlement follows recent jury verdicts that held Meta and YouTube liable for designing addictive products, including a $6 million award in Los Angeles and a $375 million civil penalty in New Mexico. Plaintiffs say the settlements increase pressure on the remaining cases, which are scheduled for trial in the coming months.