Six school districts sue social media companies over impact on student mental health.
A federal judge has selected Harford County Public Schools in Maryland as one of six school systems across the country that will move forward to trial in a major lawsuit against some of the biggest names in tech. The school district filed suit in 2023 against Meta, Google, Snap Inc., and ByteDance, claiming their social media platforms have worsened mental health issues among students. Officials from the Maryland schools say the effects of social media use have overwhelmed schools and forced them to stretch limited mental health services even further.
This lawsuit is part of a broader legal effort that now includes dozens of school districts. In Maryland, several other counties, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, and Howard, have joined the same class action. These school systems argue that companies behind Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and similar apps created products that keep students constantly engaged in ways that are harmful. They claim the platforms are addictive by design and are responsible for fueling a youth mental health crisis.
The court has chosen six school districts as bellwether cases. That means these lawsuits will be the first to go before a judge and jury, serving as test runs that may influence how the rest of the lawsuits proceed. In addition to Harford County, school systems in Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Arizona, and South Carolina will also go to trial. Five lawsuits filed by individuals have also been picked for early trial dates. If the outcomes favor the plaintiffs, other schools may have a better chance of winning similar claims.
Attorneys for Harford County, Maryland schools say the companies knew exactly what they were doing. They argue that social media platforms are built to hold users’ attention by any means possible, even if that means harming mental health. Statements from the district call the platforms “intentionally addictive,” comparing their use to the effects of nicotine. The companies, according to the district, knew their algorithms could lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, and low self-worth, but kept those features in place to increase profits.
Local officials say the result is more students in crisis, more requests for help, and more stress on school staff. Schools that are supposed to support learning are instead spending more time responding to emotional distress, panic attacks, and social media-driven bullying. Harford County Board of Education President Dr. Carol Mueller has said the lawsuit isn’t just about money, it’s about shifting the cost of this problem away from taxpayers and toward the companies that created it.
Mental health experts agree that there’s a connection between social media use and rising rates of depression and anxiety among kids and teens. Dr. Rishi Gautam, who leads the psychology department at LifeBridge Health, treats many children who spend hours each day on these platforms. He says many young users feel pressure to post perfect images of themselves, compete for attention, and measure their worth by likes and views. The constant exposure, he says, can leave students feeling isolated and empty.
While the tech companies named in the lawsuit have not commented publicly on the upcoming trials, they have denied similar claims in the past. The companies often argue that parents and schools should play a bigger role in helping children manage technology use. But school officials believe that argument shifts responsibility away from the developers of the platforms and ignores the fact that these apps were built to encourage constant use, especially among younger audiences.
With trial dates likely to begin in 2026, school leaders and families across the country will be watching. The outcomes could help decide whether tech giants will be forced to change the way their platforms work, and whether school systems will get more help dealing with the mental health fallout those platforms may have caused.
Sources:
Maryland school district among 6 heading to trial over lawsuit against social media giants
Join the conversation!