Meta settles Kentucky school lawsuit over youth mental‑health costs

Meta Platforms reached a settlement with the Breathitt County School District in Eastern Kentucky, ending the first U.S. case that sought to recover costs schools incurred from the mental‑health effects of social‑media use among students. The district had asked for more than $60 million in damages, a 15‑year mental‑health program for students, and a court order requiring Meta to modify platform features that promote addictive use. Meta did not admit wrongdoing, with a company spokesperson saying, “We settled this case amicably and continue our work on teen safety measures such as Youth Accounts.”

The agreement follows earlier settlements with Alphabet’s YouTube, Snap and TikTok and is being watched as a potential test case for roughly 1,200 similar lawsuits filed by school districts nationwide. A recent jury verdict in Los Angeles awarded $6 million against Meta and Google for comparable claims, highlighting the growing legal pressure on social‑media firms. While this settlement closes the Breathitt County case, other districts—including DeKalb County, Georgia, and several large urban school systems—are pursuing claims that could total billions of dollars.