“When I was a kid…we played outside, we would roam the neighborhood, … we were never on screens.” As society evolves and technology becomes more advanced and we learn more about the implications of inventions, we find ourselves grappling with new challenges that require new solutions. 

U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Screen Time 

The U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory at the end of May warning against the harms of screen time. This warning identifies harmful screen use as a public health concern and notes usage to be associated with a series of negative outcomes including: developmental, mental, and physical health challenges; poor educational outcomes; impairments in daily responsibilities and relationships amongst other challenges. Read more here. 

When I saw this release I couldn’t help but be transported back in time to manually rewinding an old favorite VHS tape of “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Now screens are much flatter, videos are on-demand, and no rewinding is required to play your favorite movie. Screens of all kinds are all around us. They are in our hands, in our homes, and in our daily lives. And now we find ourselves at a crossroads navigating the research and data that illuminates the harms of excessive use and with that information comes a responsibility.

Historic Rullings, Breathitt County Schools in Kentucky receives $27M

The advisory coincides with historic multi-district litigation (MDL) that is currently moving forward against social media companies including Meta, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, Youtube, ByteDance, Google, and Alphabet. Recent rulings are holding social media companies accountable. 

Early June, an announcement came that one of Kentucky’s own school districts, Breathitt County Schools, is one of the six bellwether cases for the federal MDL, settled in advance of a trial receiving a settlement of $27 million. The bellwether cases are significant in that they may shape settlement negotiations, strategies utilized in cases, and broader outcomes of the litigation.

Breathitt County Schools is among over 1,200 schools nationwide participating in the lawsuit. Kentucky’s Attorney General Coleman announced the state’s civil penalty request for a whopping $38-40 billion. This request is essentially a formal legal claim asking the court to impose fines to compensate for harm. General Coleman is amongst a coalition of state attorney generals participating in the first attorney general-led trial against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google beginning in August 2026. This trial will test whether states can hold technological companies accountable. 

If the recent Breathitt County ruling is any indication of what’s to come, we can anticipate that Kentucky will likely be receiving a significant amount of money.

Taking Action for Kids & the 5 D’s 

Legislators, community leaders, parents, and youth all have a role to play as we grapple with the impact of screen time. 

  • This past state legislative session, there was quite a bit of common ground for kids around Ai, social media, and even creating mechanisms to direct impending social media settlement dollars towards positive youth development. 
  • During the June 9th Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, Attorney General Russell Coleman noted that Kentucky is part of a 29-state coalition litigating against major social media companies and will begin trial in August of this year.
  • Community leaders and organizations across the Commonwealth are uniting together for kids in an effort to advance and ensure that impending state resources are directed towards the respective harm that screen time, social media, and their addictive features have caused.
    • This working group consists of out-of-school time providers, nonprofits, mental health groups, and organizations that serve youth are working collaboratively to build a shared agenda that boosts positive childhood experiences. If you are interested in learning more about how to get involved, please reach out to Hannah Edelen at hedelen@kyyouth.org.
  • Research highlights parental screen time usage as a predictor of child use. Parents have a role to play in creating screen time boundaries. The Surgeon General’s advisory offers some practical recommendations for promoting healthy screen use including:
    • Discussing expectations around screen use
    • (Do) model health screen time behaviors 
    • Delaying screen time and considering age appropriateness of content
    • Diverting and redirecting to alternative opportunities 
    • Disconnecting from screens altogether
  • Youth are taking action. Kentucky youth advocate, Aleah Stigall, understands the importance of this moment and is working to challenge the norms through her “Disconnect to Connect” initiative where she educates her peers on the impacts of social media and technology. 

At an early age, I learned that when you see something, you do something. The costs of screen time are far too high and exceed just financial consequences. Now is the time for Kentucky to build a healthier digital future for Kentucky’s kids, we have to take action.