By McKenna Horsley
Kentucky Lantern
August 24, 2026
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
A Kentucky mom is closely watching a court case against Meta that could determine if the social media company knowingly designed addictive products that are harmful to children.
Shannon Heacock, from Glasgow, told the Kentucky Lantern social media platforms should face more accountability and regulations. Last year, her teenage son, Elijah, died by suicide after receiving a barrage of messages seeking money or face the release of AI-generated photos of himself, she said.
Through social media and school websites, the person that sent Elijah the messages knew personal details about his life, Heacock said. Before that, she had open dialogue with her children, particularly about using social media, she added.
Heacock said a former FBI agent said Elijah was the victim of sextortion. Kentucky legislators passed a law in 2025 making that a felony.
“Talk to your children,” Heacock said. “The internet is a war for them that we’re not invited to. They’re on the front lines of an open cesspool of harassment.”
Kentucky is one of four states leading the case in court against Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. The states allege the social media company used harmful features to drive compulsive use by children and teens while also claiming the platforms were safe for young users, the Kentucky Attorney General’s office said. Kentucky is joined by California, Colorado, and New Jersey in court. The lawsuit also includes attorneys general from 25 other states.
Heacock traveled to California for the trial last week with other advocates from the Heat Initiative, which calls for Big Tech companies to have better protections for children online. Heacock said she hoped the group’s presence showed those inside the courtroom that they “want big tech as an industry to be accountable for their own products,” and noted that other industries, such as tobacco and alcohol, are regulated to prevent minors from using those products.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican, said in a statement last week this is the “largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history.”
“We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” Coleman said. “AGs are in the perfect position to get this done. We did it with the Tobacco Settlement in the 1990s. We did it with the companies behind the opioid crisis. We’ll do it again with Meta and kids will be safer as a result.”
Earlier this year, a Republican-backed bill that sought to regulate social media use for minors in Kentucky, including to restrict those under 15 from using social meda without parental consent, passed the House. However, the bill did not move out of the Senate. Meta lobbied against the bill.
Heacock said while she wants to see lawmakers pass more regulations for social media companies, she also encourages parents to have conversations with their children about using it.
“Don’t leave them alone with the internet. It’s not safe,” Heacock said. “Don’t get upset if they come to you. Talk to them. Talk to them. Talk to them.”
On Thursday night in Cave City, there will be program about the dangers of social media.
Attorneys general from states in the lawsuit are Kentucky, California, Colorado, New Jersey, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Linda Blackford for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
