Meta settles Kentucky school district lawsuit over social media addiction

Meta agreed Thursday to settle a major lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district that alleged its social networks are designed to be addictive and cause harm to children. The settlement comes less than three weeks before the case was scheduled for trial in federal court in California.

Approximately 1,200 school districts nationwide have filed similar lawsuits against Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube, accusing the companies of fueling a mental health crisis among children. TikTok, Snap and YouTube settled their cases with Kentucky in the past two 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,” a Meta spokesperson said. The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, did not disclose the settlement terms.

A YouTube spokesperson also said the matter was resolved amicably and confidentially, adding: “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.”

TikTok and Snap did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Breathitt County Schools, a small rural district in Kentucky, accused the social media companies of designing addictive products that caused students to experience anxiety, depression and self-harm. The district said it was left to handle the consequences.

The lawsuit sought more than $60 million to cover student mental health costs and fund a 15-year program to address the issue. Lawyers also requested a court order requiring the social media companies to redesign their platforms to reduce addictive features.

Meta’s legal challenges continue. Attorneys for the school districts said in a statement Thursday: “Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases.”

Two more lawsuits against the social media companies are scheduled for trial in July – one brought by an individual in California state court, the other by Tennessee’s attorney general in federal court. The next school district case, filed by the Tucson Unified School District, is set for trial in federal court in January 2027.

The settlement follows a March trial in Los Angeles in which a jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay a young woman $6 million in damages. The six-week trial ended with the jury finding the companies liable for deliberately designing addictive products and negligent for failing to warn users about potential dangers.

In a separate case brought by New Mexico’s attorney general, a jury in March ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties for misleading consumers about platform safety and enabling harm, including child sexual exploitation. These back-to-back verdicts mark the first time juries have found social media companies liable for the effects of their products on young people.

Thousands of additional lawsuits have been filed against Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube by individuals, school districts and attorneys general, alleging the products are addictive and harm children. Plaintiffs contend that once young people become hooked, they suffer from depression, eating disorders and other mental health problems.

The plaintiffs’ arguments echo those against major tobacco companies in the 1990s, which centered on cigarettes’ addictive nature and companies’ public denials despite knowing the harms. Lawyers allege that features like infinite scroll and autoplay were designed to keep users engaged and make the products addictive.

Both the Los Angeles case brought by the young woman and the Kentucky school district case were considered bellwether trials, used to gauge jury reactions and set legal precedent. The Los Angeles case was part of a judicial council coordination proceeding (JCCP) in California, while the Kentucky case is within a multidistrict litigation (MDL) consolidating thousands of similar federal lawsuits.