School District Settles with Meta and Others for $27M Over Student Mental Health Crisis

According to records reviewed by Reuters today, a school district in Kentucky has reached a settlement with social media companies including Meta Platforms, receiving approximately $27 million (about NT$850 million). The case alleges that these platforms contributed to a student mental health crisis.

Court documents show that Meta paid the largest penalty, totaling $9 million. This case is considered a bellwether for school district litigation. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, settled with the Breathitt County School District on May 21. Other co-defendants, including Snap Inc. (Snapchat), Alphabet (YouTube), and ByteDance (TikTok), have also settled.

The settlement does not require the companies to admit liability or make changes to their platforms. All companies denied the allegations, stating they have taken extensive measures to protect young users. YouTube agreed to pay $2.01 million, while Snap and TikTok each agreed to pay $8 million. YouTube also agreed to provide professional training for products like Google Classroom.

The Breathitt County School District alleged that the platforms were designed to addict young users, leading to anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Currently, over 3,300 lawsuits involving social media addiction allegations are being heard in California state courts.