Meta Sidesteps School Social Media Lawsuit: California Brief

Meta Settles School Suit, Averts First Trial

Signage outside the Meta store in Burlingame, Calif., in January 2026

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Meta reached an agreement to settle a landmark lawsuit alleging that addiction to Instagram and other top social media platforms upended learning across America and pushed US public schools to spend enormous resources fighting a mental health crisis, according to a court filing, Alexandra S. Levine, Olivia Carville, and Madlin Mekelburg report.

In a statement, plaintiffs’ attorneys Lexi Hazam, Previn Warren, Chris Seeger, and Ronald Johnson confirmed they had resolved Breathitt County School District’s claims against Meta. “Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts ...