Social media addiction lawsuit overview:
- Who: Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube have settled a bellwether social media addiction case with the Breathitt County School District.
- Why: The school district accused the companies of designing their platforms with addictive features that harm children’s mental health.
- Where: The social media addiction lawsuit was settled in California federal court.
- How to get help: If you or your child used social media between the ages of 5 and 17 and suffered mental health harm as a result, you may qualify to join a social media addiction lawsuit.
Meta Platforms, Snap, TikTok and YouTube have settled a bellwether social media addiction lawsuit filed by the Breathitt County School District.
The school district’s claims were set to go to a six-week federal jury trial in California starting June 12.
Breathitt County School District’s attorneys said in a joint statement that they resolved the district’s claims against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube.
“Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases,” the attorneys said, as reported by Law360.
Meta Platforms said it resolved the social media addiction lawsuit amicably and remains focused on developing protections, including Teen Accounts, to help keep teens safe online while giving parents tools to support their families.
Snap also said it was pleased to resolve the matter amicably.
Meanwhile, YouTube spokesperson José Castañeda made a similar statement and reiterated the company remains focused on developing age-appropriate products and parental controls.
Social media addiction lawsuit alleged companies designed addictive features
The social media addiction lawsuit claimed Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube intentionally designed their platforms with addictive features — including infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications and reward systems — that harmed minors’ health and well-being.
The Breathitt County School District alleged it was forced to spend its limited resources to address students’ mental health issues allegedly linked to the platforms.
According to Law360, the school district’s claims were the first scheduled for trial in the multidistrict litigation, which also includes personal injury plaintiffs, more than 1,000 school districts, attorneys general and Native American tribes.
The bellwether trial was expected to include testimony from high-profile executives, including Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel.
The settlement terms were not disclosed.
Earlier this year, a California jury found Meta and Google liable in a social media addiction case, while a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in civil penalties.
What do you think about the social media addiction settlement? Join the discussion in the comments.
The school district is represented by Lexi Hazam of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, Previn Warren of Motley Rice LLC, Christopher A. Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP and Ronald Johnson of Hendy Johnson Vaughn PSC.
The social media addiction lawsuit is Breathitt County Board of Education v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. 4:23-cv-01804, and the MDL is In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 4:22-md-03047, both in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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