Snap, the owner of Snapchat, reached a settlement during a Los Angeles trial involving two teenagers who allege the company designed its platform to be addictive and that its features contributed to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the agreement on Monday. A Snap spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jury selection had begun the previous week in what was expected to be Snap’s first trial in broader litigation over the effects of social media on teenagers. The plaintiffs had already settled their claims against Meta, TikTok and YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet.
The two plaintiffs, identified as S.J., a 16-year-old from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi, say they began using YouTube at around age three and other platforms at around nine. They attribute compulsive habits to features including autoplay and infinite scrolling.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys said the settlements would allow them to continue pursuing accountability for the effects of social media companies’ actions on children. The companies have rejected claims that their platforms were designed to addict young people and say they have taken steps to make their apps safe spaces for self-expression.
The case was the second social media addiction lawsuit involving young people to reach trial in Los Angeles state court. In the first, which concluded in March, a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and awarded a young woman $6 million in damages. The next two teenagers whose cases were selected for trial either settled or dropped their claims, and the first school district selected for trial settled with all the companies.
Thousands of lawsuits are pending in state and federal courts, brought by individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government bodies. The claims allege that companies knowingly sought to make children addicted to their platforms, contributing to a youth mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression and suicide.
In August, Meta reached agreements worth up to $18 billion with nearly all U.S. states and territories to resolve lawsuits brought by attorneys general over harm to teenagers. Meta agreed to make changes to how Instagram and Facebook work for teens. The agreements made $5 billion of the payment conditional on states reaching similar settlements with Snap, TikTok and YouTube.
Sources: Folha Mercado.