Meta Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Alleging Social Media Harms to Children

Kathmandu. Meta, the parent company of social media Facebook, has reached a settlement with a US school district in a lawsuit alleging that social media has increased mental health problems in children.

This lawsuit was filed by the Breathitt County School District in the state of Kentucky, USA, alleging that the companies intentionally made their platforms "addictive" and as a result, students experienced problems ranging from anxiety and depression to self-harm.

The school side had demanded compensation, stating that they had to bear a large financial cost to manage the effects of social media. This lawsuit was being advanced as a test case among similar lawsuits filed by more than 1,200 school districts across the United States.

Companies including Meta, TikTok, Snap Inc., and YouTube were involved in similar allegations, and some had already reached separate settlements.

Meta has stated that it has resolved this issue through mutual agreement. This has saved the company from having to make a formal defense in future court hearings. However, the financial or other terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

The company said that safety measures such as "teen accounts" have been implemented to keep teenagers safe and parental control features have been provided. However, according to some researchers and activists, such measures are not sufficient.