Meta settles major social media addiction lawsuit with school district

Meta agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district alleging that its social networks are designed to be addictive and cause harm to children. The settlement occurred shortly before the case was scheduled to go to trial in federal court in California. Around 1,200 school districts across the United States sued major social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube, over alleged contributions to a mental health crisis in children. TikTok, Snap, and YouTube had already resolved their Kentucky cases in recent weeks. Meta stated the case was resolved amicably and emphasized protections such as Teen Accounts and parent controls, while settlement terms were not disclosed. The Kentucky district sought over $60 million and platform changes, and attorneys indicated continued pursuit for remaining districts.

"Meta agreed to settle a major lawsuit on Thursday with a school district in Kentucky over claims that its social networks are designed to be addictive, leading to harm in children. The settlement comes less than three weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial in federal court in California. About 1,200 school districts from across the US came together to each sue Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube for allegedly fueling a mental health crisis in children. TikTok, Snap and YouTube settled their suits with Kentucky over the past couple of weeks."

"We've resolved this case amicably and remain focused 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, said a Meta spokesperson. The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not disclose the terms of the settlement. A YouTube spokesperson also said the matter was resolved amicably and confidentially and that for more than a decade, we've built YouTube responsibly working with teachers, administrators, and parents' groups to give students safer, more helpful experiences online."

"Breathitt county schools, a small rural district in Kentucky, had accused the social media companies of designing addictive products that led to students having anxiety and depression and engaging in self-harm. The school district said it was left dealing with the fallout. The lawsuit sought more than $60m to cover the costs of mental health needs for students in the district and to pay for a 15-year program to improve the issue. Lawyers also sought a court order requiring the social media companies to change the way their platforms worked to have fewer addictive features."

"Meta's legal woes are far from over. Attorneys for the school districts said in a statement on Thursday that our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have f"

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