Meta settles Breathitt County Schools’ lawsuit over social media addiction

Meta agreed Thursday to settle a social media addiction lawsuit brought by Breathitt County Schools, according to the school district’s attorneys.

Breathitt County Schools’ attorneys, including Lexi Hazam and Previn Warren, said they had “resolved the district’s claims against Meta, as well as its claims against Snap, TikTok and YouTube,” an Instagram post from the law firm Motley Rice said.

“Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases,” the statement said.

Breathitt County school district officials did not immediately comment Thursday night.

The lawsuits allege the social media companies created addictive technologies, causing significant costs for mental health counseling, tech programs and other services that schools paid for.

YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok had previously settled with Breathitt County Schools.

Meta and YouTube suffered court losses earlier this year in similar lawsuits, NBC reported.

Breathitt County’s settlement terms haven’t been disclosed, but the school district’s lawsuit sought more than $60 million, according to multiple media reports.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 9:02 PM.