Meta has agreed to a settlement with a US school district that sued the tech giant over expenses tied to student mental health challenges allegedly caused by its social media platforms. The agreement allows Meta to avoid defending itself at an upcoming federal trial.
The trial had been scheduled to begin in mid-June in Oakland, California, as part of broader multi-district litigation. Last week, the same school district settled with three other co-defendants: TikTok, Snap Inc, and Google's YouTube. Terms of the settlement with Meta, announced on Thursday, were not disclosed.
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs noted that their attention now turns to pursuing claims for the remaining 1,200 school districts involved in similar litigation. Meanwhile, a separate bellwether trial involving lawsuits brought against Meta by US states is slated to begin in the same California court this August.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the amicable resolution on Thursday, highlighting the company's ongoing efforts to implement protective measures such as Teen Accounts. However, critics and advocacy groups have continued to question the effectiveness of these safeguards in preventing young users from encountering harmful content.
