BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Breathitt County Schools is set to receive a $27 million settlement from four social media companies.
In 2023, the district filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube, accusing the companies of creating addictive technologies that hurt student mental health and forced schools to spend more on counseling and other services.
The district will receive $27 million from the companies instead of the case going to trial as scheduled next week.
Bellwether case avoids trial
Breathitt County Schools’ case against Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat was viewed as a bellwether case against the social media giants.
According to Bloomberg News, it was set to be the first of more than 1,300 similar lawsuits filed by districts across the U.S. to go to trial.
The trial was supposed to start on June 12, but instead, the companies have agreed to pay the district a combined $27 million.
Bloomberg reports Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, will pay the most at $9 million. Snapchat and TikTok each agreed to pay $8 million, and YouTube will pay just over $2 million.
Lawsuit claims
The lawsuit claimed the companies created addictive technologies that hurt student mental health.
The suit lists several features it calls harmful, including limitless scrolling and autoplay video, causing addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and even suicide, according to Bloomberg.
As a result, Breathitt County Schools said they paid significant costs to address student needs, including mental health counseling and tech programs.
In a statement to WKYT, Ronald Johnson, the district’s attorney, said they’re pleased to have resolved the case in an amicable manner, but as a matter of policy, the district does not comment on litigation.
Johnson said the district will provide more information about how the funds will be used during its annual budget process. Johnson said those uses will include addressing issues related to student mental health, wellbeing and the use of social media platforms.
Kentucky is also one of dozens of states suing Meta, accusing the company of endangering youth mental health. In total, the states are seeking up to $40 billion in civil penalties.
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