Meta Joins Snap, TikTok, YouTube in Settling Social Media Addiction Case

Meta Joins Snap, TikTok, YouTube in Settling Social Media Addiction Case | PCMag

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UPDATE 5/23: Meta has now settled this case, too. As Courthouse News reports, Kentucky's Breathitt County School District sought $60 million, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Meta still faces hundreds of other cases from states and school districts, however. Next up is one involving Tucson's Unified School District in Arizona, set to go to trial in January. Original Story 5/17:Snap, YouTube, and TikTok owner ByteDance have agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing the platforms of causing addiction, disrupting learning, and forcing schools to spend large sums on student mental health support.According to Bloomberg, payout terms were not disclosed. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates that comparable lawsuits could expose tech companies to a “collective theoretical liability” of almost $400 billion. Meta will continue to fight the case; a trial begins on June 12 in California. You May Also Like

The Breathitt County School District in rural Kentucky sued the tech firms in 2024, accusing them of failing to implement robust age-verification processes and effective parental controls. It also accused them of not implementing opt-in restrictions on the length and frequency of usage, creating barriers that make it more difficult for users to delete or deactivate their accounts, and using algorithms to promote addictive engagement.The schools claimed this led to staff spending time on confiscating cell phones and other devices, as well as hiring additional staff to support student mental health and counseling. Recommended by Our Editors Meta: Lawsuit Claiming WhatsApp Lacks End-to-End Encryption Is Falling Apart Judge Rejects Meta's Request to Dismiss Teen Addiction Lawsuits School Districts Notch a Win in Tech Addiction Case Against Top Platforms

“This matter has been amicably resolved, and our focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise,” YouTube told Reuters. Snap provided a similar statement.The news comes after Snap and TikTok settled another addiction-focused case in January involving a 20-year-old California woman. Meta and Google took the case to court, and the woman was awarded $6 million in damages in March. Also in March, a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for violating state consumer protection laws related to child sexual exploitation and misleading users about safety and ordered it to pay $375 million. Meta is appealing.

About Our Expert Will McCurdy Contributor Experience I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs. Latest By Will McCurdy Still Using Your Chromecast? Google Says It Will Live On Amid Fears Apple May Be Preparing Mysterious New Over-Ear Headphones Texas AG Sues What­sApp for 'Lying About Pri­va­cy' Companies Using Anthropic's Mythos AI Uncover 10K+ Serious Software Bugs First VPN Seized by European Authorities Over Organized Crime Links More from Will McCurdy Read Full Bio

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