Covington school district joins statewide lawsuit against social media companies

BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK nky REPORTER

Members of Covington Independent Public Schools’ Board of Education unanimously voted to join litigation against several social media companies at its May 11 meeting.

The lawsuit, which was initially instigated by Fayette County Public Schools and later joined by Boone County and Jefferson County schools, among others, alleges that social media platforms have indelibly and deliberately undermined students’ mental health, according to federal court documents.

It seeks damages in the form of funds to build out mental health infrastructure in schools. Similar lawsuits have occurred in other parts of the country, as well.

Board attorney Mary Ann Stewart introduced the proposal at the end of a Board of Education meeting on April 27, comparing the action to similar class-action lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for regionwide problems with opioid addiction.

“The train has left the station, and I think we should get on that train,” she said.

A trial likely would not take place in Kentucky, Stewart said, adding that she would not financially benefit from the case.

The lawsuit filing contains nearly 90 pages of arguments, with citations from numerous sources describing how social media functions, its prevalence in students’ lives, its detrimental effects on students’ mental health and the risks of online bullying and harassment.

It also contends that social media companies deliberately fashioned their platforms to be addictive and capture the attention of chil-

One cited study, by the Pew Research Center in 2022, included nearly 1,400 pairs of parents and children from around the country. Its findings suggest that large numbers of teenagers use social media platforms nearly all day or at least regularly throughout the day.

The lawsuit was filed against the following companies:

Meta Platforms Inc.

Facebook Holdings LLC

Facebook Operations LLC

Meta Payments Inc.

Facebook Technologies LLC

Instagram LLC

Siculus Inc.

Snap Inc.

Tiktok Inc.

Bytedance Inc.

Alphabet Inc.

Google LLC

XXVI Holdings Inc.

Youtube LLC

The resolution to join the lawsuit passed with little discussion. Stewart said the district likely would not see any disbursements of money for several years.