The case was considered the first of its kind and a bellwether (a case that is representative of a larger pool of lawsuits and will be a testbed for future litigation). The plaintiffs argue that social media platforms have had a major negative impact on the mental health of school-age children, resulting in a burden on the education system, as American schools have been forced to redirect resources to combat the problem.
The case was scheduled to go to trial in less than a month, and Snap, YouTube and TikTok were co-defendants, but the three reached a settlement earlier this month before Meta’s arrival.
A Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo, “We have resolved this matter amicably and are focused on our longtime work of building protections like Teen Accounts that help teens stay safe online, while giving parents simple controls to support their families.”
The settlement comes on the heels of Meta losing a major social media addiction trial. In March, a judge in Los Angeles ruled that Meta was responsible for adverse effects on a 20-year-old man’s mental health after becoming addicted to Instagram from an early age. The young woman’s representatives successfully argued that it was Meta’s deliberate design choices, such as infinite scroll and face-changing filters on Stories, that had exacerbated her addiction and subsequent mental health issues such as self-harm and depression.
The decision was significant, as it overturned previous protections given to social media platform operators under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Under the law, Meta was released from any liability for content posted by third parties on its platform. In the recent case, its lawyers argued that the adverse effects on the mental health of young Instagram users were caused solely by third parties, not the platform.
Meta has since asked the court to overturn the decision.
As predicted, that decision created a watershed moment, and Instagram, Facebook, threads and Messenger were flooded with ads from lawyers willing to take on clients in fresh social media addiction cases.
This was really bad publicity for Meta at a time when the social media giant is already facing increasing scrutiny over youth-related issues. Last year, Meta faced criticism after a Reuters report found that the company had allowed its AI chatbots to have “sexualized” conversations with children.
Both lawsuits are also symptoms of a changing tide in social media regulation.
After numerous studies and expert reports over the years arguing that social media algorithms and addictive design features are ruining the brains of young, vulnerable users, governments around the world have recently begun taking more serious measures. In December, Australia became the first country to ban users under 16 on social media platforms, setting off a regulatory wave that has spread to the rest of the world. In the states, the fight has mostly played out in the courts and local governments.
It’s unclear under what terms Meta reached the settlement with Kentucky’s Breathitt County School District, but it’s unlikely to be the last time Meta makes headlines with social media addiction litigation in the short term. There are over a thousand other school districts with similar claims that are still seeking justice. Additionally, according to Reuters, there are more than 3,300 social media addiction cases pending against various platform operators in California state court alone.
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