Snapchat settles teen lawsuit over social media addiction claims

The trial, which began jury selection last week in Los Angeles state court, was the second of its kind involving young people claiming social media platforms, including Snap, Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube, were intentionally designed to encourage compulsive use.

Separate settlements had already been reached with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube regarding similar claims.

A spokesperson for Snap has not yet commented on the agreement.

“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 attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, representing K.D.B. at trial.

The trial was slated to be Snap’s first in a broader legal action concerning social media’s impact on teenagers. The company’s Chief Executive, Evan Spiegel, was expected to testify.

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 they attribute to features like autoplay and infinite scroll.

The social media companies have consistently denied designing their platforms to be addictive, asserting they have implemented measures to ensure the apps are safe spaces for young users.

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against social media companies in both federal and state courts, alleging they knowingly sought to addict children and contribute to a youth mental health crisis.

A Los Angeles jury previously found Meta and YouTube negligent in March, awarding a young woman $6 million in damages.

Following that verdict, the subsequent two teens selected for trials either settled or dismissed their claims. The first school district chosen for trial also reached a settlement with all the companies.

In August, Meta agreed to settlements totaling up to $18 billion with nearly every state and US territory to resolve lawsuits concerning the platforms’ impact on teenagers. This agreement included changes to Instagram and Facebook for younger users and was contingent on similar settlements with Snap, TikTok, and YouTube involving $5 billion.