YouTube, TikTok, and Snap (the owner of Snapchat) have reached a settlement with a U.S. school district in a case regarding "youth social media addiction." The plaintiffs alleged that the platforms caused a mental health crisis among teenagers. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The case involves the Breathitt County School District in Kentucky, which was set to be the first in a large-scale litigation process against social media companies. The details of the settlement have not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is still scheduled to face trial on June 15.
Reuters notes that thousands of lawsuits against social media companies are currently pending in California courts over allegations of fostering addiction among youth and harming the mental health of teenagers.
The school district sought over $60 million in compensation. These funds were intended to address the consequences of social media's impact on students and to fund a 15-year mental health program.
In addition, the plaintiffs sought a court order to compel the companies to change platform algorithms and features that they believe cause addiction.
In March, a jury in Los Angeles already found Meta and Google negligent for creating platforms "harmful to youth." At that time, the court awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old American woman who claimed she became addicted to social media as a child.
The companies deny the allegations and state that they are implementing safety tools for teenagers and parental controls.
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