Social media giants lose last bid to avoid trials with US schools
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Public school districts across the US have claimed that social media platforms harmed the mental health of students and strained school resources.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Meta Platforms Inc, Google, TikTok Inc and Snap Inc lost a chance to avoid going to trial over claims by public school districts across the US that social media platforms harmed the mental health of students and strained school resources.
A federal judge in Oakland, California, issued a ruling late on Feb 9, rejecting a request by the companies to dismiss claims brought by a school district in rural Kentucky that are similar to those filed by more than 1,000 other local districts.
The judge has said she intends to hold the first jury trial later in 2026.
The ruling comes the same day as a trial against social media companies kicked off in a state court in Los Angeles over claims that their platforms caused a young woman’s depression, anxiety and other mental health struggles.
Her case is the first to be presented to a jury among thousands of similar personal injury complaints.
Bloomberg Intelligence has estimated that the compensation sought by more than 1,200 school districts from the social media companies totals nearly US$500 billion (S$633 billion).
At a recent hearing, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said the school districts have provided a “reasonable articulation” of how social media features like Snapchat’s “streaks” or Instagram’s beautification image filter cause specific harm to students and schools.
She said it should be up to a jury to decide whether the platforms distracted students and disrupted their education. BLOOMBERG
