For many community members in rural Kentucky counties, a local story making international news may seem unfathomable. However, a recent lawsuit brought by Breathitt County, Kentucky against a number of major social media companies, including Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has done just that. The lawsuit, originally filed by the Breathitt County School District in 2023, alleged that social media giants Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube do not adequately implement age verification or parental control safety for minors and utilize potentially harmful algorithms. The companies agreed to pay the school district $27 million combined, according to WKYT. With concern over social media’s effect on the youth already being widespread, the lawsuit quickly made ripples that reached much farther than Eastern Kentucky.

Breathitt v. Meta Platforms Inc. et al is far from the only lawsuit of its kind. According to NBC News, it was selected as a "bellwether case,” a case that represents a larger group of similar lawsuits. There are more than 1,200 similar cases brought by school districts throughout the country accusing social media companies of promoting social media addiction, anxiety, and depression for U.S. youth. 

WKYT reported that the district’s attorney, Ronald Johnson, shared that the Breathitt County School district will provide more information about how settlement funds will be used, including using funds to address student mental health and well-being.

In August 2026, similar concerns regarding social media’s effect on youth were taken to a national scale. A federal trial began, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman as well as attorneys general from states including California, Colorado, and New Jersey. The states accused Meta of harming children with “technology designed to be addictive like cigarettes,” according to The New York Times. 

By Aug. 26, Meta settled with the states, agreeing to pay up to $17 billion, subject to additional conditions, and to significant changes in order to avoid future damages to young users. The Kentucky Lantern detailed some of these changes as screen time restrictions for users under 18, mandatory pauses in use, the halting of push notifications during school hours, the increase of safety measures concerning children’s ability to access certain content and features, and more.
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It seems that meaningful steps are being taken forward, but parents and administrators still have their doubts.

Breathitt County is not the only county in Kentucky whose students are affected by the impacts of social media. High school students across the state have struggled with social media addiction and its adverse mental health effects, and shared their opinions on the case.

Millie Donnelly, a junior at Murray High School, told The New Edu she thinks spending too much time on social media can be a problem for her peers. 

“I've seen people worry about posting stuff a little too much,” Donnelly said.  

It can also take away from meaningful social interactions. “When you're talking with a friend, sometimes it feels like they're more focused on their phone than they are on you," she said.

This attachment to devices not only causes problems in terms of time spent doom-scrolling according to Rylan Evans, a junior at Craft Academy. He also claims that it sets a harmful example of comparison for teens.

“Every day when I'm on social media, I normally see fitness influencers,” he said. “That will make me and make a lot of other people compare themselves to that.”

Now, he said, there are terms like “looksmaxxing” and “black pill,” which can also induce insecurity in young people.

It is clear that social media addiction is viewed as a significant problem by both students and administrators across Kentucky. However, the question still remains of whether or not Meta and the other platforms are solely responsible for the damage done.

Donnelly thinks social media companies are responsible.

“They [social media corporations] will send you more content that provokes an emotional reaction within you, because then you're more likely to engage with it, and then you get more emotionally damaging, potentially, content,” she said. “It can be a very negative cycle.” 

The Breathitt County Schools settlement, coupled with Meta recently settling with states including Kentucky, represent a movement across the country that stands to change primary means of communication and online socialization. Breathitt County Schools, a district that most would not think of as a moving force, has set a prime example of how this push for change could move forward.

Still, some believe that there are many more steps to be taken to secure meaningful change in the future.

As Evans said, “It's great that they got that settlement, but it depends where the money goes now.”