Horry County Schools may join lawsuit against Meta, Instagram for role in ‘youth mental health crisis’

Adam Benson
·1 min read
7

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County Schools may soon join a nationwide lawsuit against social media companies Instagram and Meta, alleging they’re responsible for deepening a “youth mental health crisis.”

In December, the school board voted 8-1 in favor of retaining legal services to consider joining a multi-district litigation action C filed last October in U.S. District Court Northern California.

Horry County is the state’s third largest public school district, with more than 46,000 students.

Motley Rice, a national lawsuit based in Mount Pleasant, are among the firms suing.

Horry County Schools didn’t comment on the possibility of joining the lawsuit, and it wasn’t immediately known when a vote could happen naming the district as a plaintiff.

The 233-page suit was brought by attorneys general from 33 states, including South Carolina’s Alan Wilson. They claim the social media giants have violated consumer protection laws in several ways, including collecting data on minors without parental consent to create targeted marketing campaigns.

Wilson said features such as “infinite scrolling” and instant alerts about new content were designed as hooks to keep users fixed to the product.

“Meta knew these addictive features harmed young people’s physical and mental health, including undermining their ability to get adequate sleep, but did not disclose the harm nor did they make meaningful changes to minimize the harm,” Wilson said in an Oct. 24 news release. Instead, they claimed their platforms were safe for young users.”

The suit seeks specific damages for minors in each state. South Carolina wants compensation under the state’s unfair trade practice law and seeks an undisclosed amount of money along with compensation for attorney’s fees and a $5,000 penalty for each individual violation.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

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