Instagram, TikTok and Others to Pay Damages Over Impact on Children's Mental Health

Several of the world’s social media giants are reported to have paid a total of almost Rp 500 billion regarding allegations of triggering a mental health crisis among students. The companies involved include Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, as well as Alphabet and TikTok.

School districts in Breathitt, Kentucky, USA, have accused these companies of designing platforms to ensure young users become addicted, leading to anxiety, depression, and self-harm. The consequences of these designs have reportedly been left for schools to manage independently.

According to a Reuters report, the total amount paid to the school districts to settle these legal cases reached US$27 million (approximately Rp 491 billion). Copies of the settlement agreements indicate that the largest portion was paid by Meta, amounting to US$9 million (Rp 163.9 billion). Additionally, Alphabet, the owner of Google, settled by paying US$2.01 million (Rp 36.6 billion), while Snap and ByteDance each paid US$8 million (Rp 145.7 billion).

All companies have denied the allegations. They also claim to have implemented extensive measures to ensure the safety of teenage and young users on their platforms. Regarding the settlements, Meta, Snap, and YouTube explained that they have resolved the claims through peaceful settlements.

The school districts had originally sought more than US$60 million (Rp 1.09 trillion) to cover the costs of mitigating the impact of social media on student mental health and to fund mental health programmes over a 15-year period. Furthermore, the school districts requested obligations to modify platforms to reduce features that promote addiction.

Similar lawsuits have not only been filed by the Breathitt school district. In California alone, there are more than 3,300 lawsuits related to addiction claims currently being processed in local courts. Meanwhile, during a trial on 25 March, a jury in a Los Angeles court found Meta and Google negligent for promoting platforms that are harmful to young people, awarding US$6 million (Rp 109.3 billion) in damages to a 20-year-old woman who claimed she had been addicted to social media since early childhood.