Fayette School Board Authorizes Legal Action Against Social Media Companies Over Alleged Harm to District Students

Lexington, Ky.–Fayette County Board of Education in Kentucky voted unanimously Monday to authorize litigation against social media companies to compensate for the mental health challenges caused by excessive use of their platforms by students.

The resolution highlights the prevalence of social media use among young people and how companies have designed their platforms to maximize screen time. It also cites research that shows excessive use of social media can be harmful to the mental, behavioral, and emotional health of youth.

The resolution further notes that Public Schools in Kentucky have been significantly impacted by the crisis resulting from overexposure to social media, as school districts are one of the main providers or facilitators of mental health supports and services for school-aged children in the community. It also emphasizes the significant amount of time and resources spent by the School District and its employees in addressing students’ mental health challenges.

As a result, the Fayette County Board of Education has authorized attorney Ronald Johnson and his law firm, Hendy Johnson Vaughn & Emery of Louisville, Kentucky, to file a civil action against appropriate parties to compensate Fayette County Public Schools for damages suffered by the district and to seek any other appropriate relief, including injunctive relief.

The resolution further authorizes the superintendent/designee to negotiate and execute all necessary contracts and other related documents on behalf of Fayette County Public Schools in the pursuit of any civil action.

The resolution aims to help reduce the negative impact of social media on the mental health of students and to hold social media companies accountable for the harms caused by their platforms. It is unclear at this stage which social media companies will be targeted in the litigation.

The move by Fayette County Board of Education is part of a growing trend of legal actions against social media companies for their alleged role in harming the mental health of young people. As such, this case may set an important precedent for future legal action against social media companies.

In recent years, school districts across the United States have begun to sue social media companies in an effort to hold them accountable for the negative effects that their platforms have had on youth mental health. These lawsuits allege that social media companies have knowingly and intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive and harmful, and that they have failed to take adequate steps to protect children from the negative effects of their use.

One of the most notable recent examples of a school district suing a social media company is the lawsuit that was filed by the Seattle Public Schools against Meta, Google, Snapchat, and TikTok. In this lawsuit, the school district alleges that the companies have created a public nuisance by targeting their products to children and that they have failed to take adequate steps to protect children from the negative effects of their use. The Kent School District in Washington filed a similar lawsuit shortly thereafter.

These lawsuits are part of a growing trend of legal action against social media companies. In recent years, there have also been lawsuits filed by individual parents, families, and groups of students. These lawsuits have alleged a variety of harms, including addiction, cyberbullying, and self-harm.

It is too early to say how these lawsuits will ultimately play out. However, they have the potential to have a significant impact on the way that social media companies operate. If the courts find that social media companies are liable for the negative effects that their platforms have had on youth mental health, it could lead to a number of changes, including new regulations on how social media companies operate and increased funding for mental health services in schools.