Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok settle Kentucky school district lawsuit over teen mental health harms
The settlements avert the first scheduled trial in a multidistrict litigation involving over 1,200 school districts, as plaintiffs’ attorneys pivot focus to remaining cases.
Meta has reached a settlement with Kentucky’s Breathitt County School District regarding claims that its platform caused mental health harms to teenagers. YouTube, Snap and TikTok have also settled similar claims brought by the district to cover costs associated with combating social media-related mental health issues. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
The case was intended to be the first bellwether trial of the federal multidistrict litigation, which had been scheduled to begin in June. The litigation involves claims from school districts, state attorneys general and individuals against the social media platforms. The strategy of trying a sampling of cases before juries is intended to inform settlement negotiations for the broader bucket of remaining cases.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys Lexi Hazam, Previn Warren, Chris Seeger and Ronald Johnson stated in a joint statement that their focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases. The resolution follows back-to-back losses for Meta in trials grappling with its impact on teens’ mental health, including a recent ruling by a Los Angeles jury against the company in a separate state court matter.
Meta, YouTube and Snap issued statements emphasising their commitment to building safer online environments and parental controls. A Meta spokesperson said the company had resolved the case amicably and remained focused on protections like Teen Accounts. YouTube and Snap similarly described the resolution as amicable. TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The next federal bellwether trial is scheduled to begin in January. A separate state court case in Los Angeles, dealing with similar social media addiction and youth mental health claims, is expected to begin in July.
