YouTube, Snap, TikTok settle school mental health lawsuit

YouTube, Snap and TikTok have reached settlements in a major lawsuit accusing social media companies of fueling youth addiction and worsening the mental health crisis among students.

The agreements resolve claims brought by the Breathitt County School District in eastern Kentucky, which had accused the platforms of creating addictive products that forced schools to spend millions addressing the impact on students’ mental health, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Terms of the settlements were not disclosed in court filings submitted Friday in federal court in California.

The case was the first school district lawsuit in the nationwide social media litigation set to go to trial. The Kentucky district is still scheduled to face Meta Platforms in court on June 15 over similar claims involving Facebook and Instagram.

A spokesperson for YouTube said the matter had been “amicably resolved” and added that the company remains focused on developing age-appropriate products and parental controls. Snap also confirmed the settlement, while TikTok did not immediately comment.

More than 3,300 lawsuits involving claims of social media addiction are currently pending in California state court, while another 2,400 cases filed by individuals, school districts, municipalities and states have been consolidated in federal court.

The growing legal pressure follows a landmark March verdict in which a Los Angeles jury found Meta Platforms and Alphabet negligent for designing platforms deemed harmful to young users. The jury awarded $6 million to a woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child.

The companies have denied wrongdoing and say they have introduced extensive safety measures aimed at protecting teenagers and younger users.

Breathitt County School District had sought more than $60 million in damages to fund student mental health services and a long-term program addressing the effects of social media use. The lawsuit also called for court-ordered changes to platform design aimed at reducing addictive features.

Legal experts consider the case a key bellwether that could shape settlement talks and influence thousands of similar lawsuits filed by school districts across the United States.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada