The company still faces more than 1,000 other lawsuits from school districts across the country.
Meta reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by a Kentucky school district weeks before the case went to trial in California, according to court documents. The lawsuit alleged that Meta, Snap, YouTube and TikTok harmed students’ mental health, putting a strain on school resources.
Meta’s settlement comes a week after Snap, YouTube and TikTok also reached a settlement in the case. “We resolved this matter amicably and remain focused on our long-standing work to create protections like Teen Accounts that help teens stay safe online, while giving parents simple controls to support their families,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
The case is one of more than 1,000 lawsuits filed by school districts across the country targeting Meta and other social media companies. The Kentucky case was the first to go to trial. Meta and other companies still face numerous other lawsuits from school districts, including in New York and Seattle. In a statement, attorneys for the Kentucky school district said their focus “remains on seeking justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts that have filed complaints.”
Meta was likely eager to avoid another high-profile trial that would have put its safety record in the spotlight. A Los Angeles jury recently ruled against Meta and YouTube in another social media addiction trial that saw testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and other executives. Meta was also recently ordered to pay a $375 million fine following a lawsuit in New Mexico over its security practices. The company has announced its intention to appeal the decision.
