Snapchat resolves lawsuit alleging addictive platform design

Jury selection had begun last week in Los Angeles state court, marking the second trial in a series of cases brought by young people alleging that social media platforms – including Snap, Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube – were engineered to promote compulsive usage. Settlements had previously been reached with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.

“Our ultimate goal is to hold these social media companies accountable for how their actions have impacted millions of children across the country, and these settlements allow us to keep building toward that goal,” stated John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, trial attorneys for plaintiff K.D.B.

The trial was slated to be Snap’s first in a broader legal action examining the impact of social media on teenagers. Evan Spiegel, Snap’s CEO, had been scheduled to testify.

The case was selected as a bellwether, intended to test the claims against Snap and other companies and potentially influence the resolution of similar cases. Lawyers for the plaintiffs indicate further bellwether trials are scheduled to commence in March.

A Snap spokesperson asserted that the company has implemented safety measures, launched tutorials, and collaborated with experts, and remains dedicated to enhancing the safety and well-being of its user community.

The plaintiffs, S.J., a 16-year-old from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi, claim they began using YouTube at age 3 and other platforms around age 9, developing compulsive habits attributed to features like autoplay and infinite scrolling.

Social media companies have consistently denied designing their platforms to be addictive, emphasizing their efforts to create safe spaces for young people.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed in both federal and state courts by individuals, school districts, and municipalities alleging that social media companies knowingly contributed to a youth mental health crisis by designing platforms to addict children. Approximately 30 states have initiated legal action against these companies.

In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent, awarding a young woman $6 million US in damages. Additionally, Meta was ordered to pay $375 million US in March after a New Mexico jury found it had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms.

In August, Meta reached settlements totaling up to $18 billion US with nearly every state and U.S. territory, agreeing to changes in how Instagram and Facebook operate for teenagers. This agreement stipulated that $5 billion US of the payout was contingent upon Snap, TikTok, and YouTube reaching similar settlements.