Close up shot, group of children hands busy using smartphone at school corridor – concept of social media, playing games, technology and education.
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Kentucky’s Breathitt County school board will use funds from a settlement with the social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok and Youtube to address issues related to student mental health, wellbeing and use of social media platforms, an attorney for the school board said Friday night.
Breathitt County is among 1,200 school districts nationwide that filed a lawsuit against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Youtube alleging social media companies created addictive technologies, causing significant costs for mental health counseling, tech programs and other services that schools paid for.
The Breathitt settlement drew national attention earlier this month, but school board attorney Grant Chenoweth didn’t respond for the school board until Friday.
“We are pleased to have resolved this case in an amicable manner. As a matter of policy, the district does not comment on litigation. As part of its annual budget process, the district will provide more information to the community on how funds from this resolution will be used, including to address issues related to student mental health, wellbeing, and use of social media platforms,” Chenoweth said Friday in a statement.
Chenoweth didn’t immediately say how much the settlement was for. Breathitt County has asked for $60 million, according to the New York Times.
Ronald Johnson, a Louisville lawyer and the lead attorney for Breathitt County Schools in the case, confirmed the resolution to the Herald-Leader earlier this month.
“Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases,” Johnson said earlier this month. Johnson said he worked with Chris Seeger and Previn Warren in the case.
This story has been updated to reflect that the settlement was with multiple social media companies.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 9:13 PM.