Meta has reached an amicable settlement with the Breathitt County School District in Kentucky, resolving a lawsuit that alleged the social media giant's platforms contributed to a mental health crisis among students. The agreement, announced on Thursday, allows Meta to avoid a trial in this specific case, though numerous similar lawsuits are still pending.
Breathitt County School District's case was selected as a test litigation for over a thousand other US school districts that have filed claims against social media companies. The district had accused companies like Meta, TikTok, Snap Inc., and Google's YouTube of deliberately designing their platforms to be addictive, leading to harms such as anxiety, depression, and self-harm among young users. The school district was seeking $60 million in damages to cover the costs associated with addressing these impacts and to fund an abatement program. Furthermore, the district aimed to compel the companies to alter the allegedly addictive nature of their platforms.
This settlement with Meta follows similar agreements made last week with TikTok, Snap Inc., and Google's YouTube for the same case. A Meta spokesperson stated on Thursday, "We've resolved this case amicably," emphasizing that the agreement permits the company to bypass the need to mount a defense at this particular trial. However, the spokesperson also noted that "similar cases remain set for trial in the near future."
The plaintiffs' attorneys, Lexi Hazam, Previn Warren, Chris Seeger, and Ronald Johnson, issued a joint statement, declaring, "Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases." The trial for the Breathitt County School District case was initially scheduled to commence in mid-June in federal court in Oakland, California, as part of a broader multi-district litigation. A separate bellwether trial concerning cases brought against Meta by US states is slated to proceed in the same court in August.
This development comes after Meta and YouTube faced a significant setback earlier this year. They lost a high-profile case in Los Angeles brought by a woman who claimed the companies were responsible for her childhood addiction to social media. Jurors awarded the 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley, $6 million in damages, agreeing with her assertion that the companies intentionally designed addictive platforms that negatively impacted her mental health. At the time of that verdict, Meta and Google indicated their intention to appeal the decision. Snap and TikTok had settled that specific case shortly before its trial began.
In response to ongoing concerns, a Meta spokesperson reiterated the company's commitment to safety, stating, "Our focus remains on our longstanding work to build protections like Teen Accounts that help teens stay safe online, while giving parents simple controls to support their families." Instagram Teen Accounts, launched two years ago, is intended to shield teenagers from harmful content. However, some research suggests that these protective measures may not be entirely effective in preventing young users from encountering distressing material, such as posts related to suicide and self-harm.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta whistleblower who has testified against the company, commented on the design of social media products, noting, "When you have products designed to maximize capture of your attention, some people are going to have a harmful relationship to it." Adding to the scrutiny, the Tech Transparency Project, an advocacy group, recently reported that Meta has been compensating Instagram influencers to promote a positive narrative surrounding its Instagram Teen Accounts. These ongoing discussions highlight the complex challenges in balancing platform engagement with user well-being.
