Snap, YouTube, and TikTok settle suit over harm to students

Snap, YouTube and TikTok have settled the first lawsuit of its kind. The suit alleges that social media addiction has cost public schools massive amounts of money, according to Bloomberg. The suit was filed by the Breathitt County School District in Kentucky and claims that social media has disrupted learning and created a mental health crisis that strains budgets. The terms of the settlement have not been revealed. Meta is still facing a trial in the same suit. The suit is viewed as a bellwether for over 1,000 similar lawsuits across the country. This is the first of 1,200 school districts facing off against social media companies. The settlement follows an earlier case settled by Snap and TikTok. In that case 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 suit. The case went to trial where a jury awarded the plaintiff 6 million dollars. Meta also recently lost a suit brought by New Mexico's attorney general for 375 million dollars. Lawyers representing school districts said their focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases, according to Bloomberg. Many including New Mexico are pushing for significant changes to social media apps to limit their harm to minors.