Snap, YouTube, and TikTok reach settlement over student harm

Snap, YouTube and TikTok have settled the first lawsuit of its kind, alleging that social media addiction has cost public schools huge sums of money, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Bloomberg. The lawsuit, filed by the Breathitt County School District in Kentucky, alleges that social media has disrupted learning and created a mental health crisis, straining budgets. Terms of the settlement have not yet been revealed, and Meta still faces trial in the same suit, which is seen as a bellwether for more than 1,000 similar lawsuits across the country.

This follows a previous case, settled by Snap and TikTok, in which a 19-year-old plaintiff claimed significant personal injury due to addictive social media apps. Google and Meta did not agree to a settlement in that lawsuit, and it eventually went to trial, where a jury awarded the plaintiff $6 million. Meta also recently lost a $375 million lawsuit brought by the New Mexico Attorney General.

Beyond the cash prizes, many, including New Mexico, are pushing for major changes to social media apps to limit their harm to minors. And this is just the beginning of what will become a busy year of lawsuits on social media. according to BloombergAttorneys representing the school districts said their “focus remains on getting justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts that have filed cases.”