Key Points
- Meta has settled claims it engineered its platforms to hook teenage users, a plaintiff's lawyer said.
- Jury selection had already begun in Los Angeles, with opening statements due in early November.
- Snap remains the sole defendant, leaving the first US social media addiction trial to proceed against Snapchat alone.
The latest:
Meta has settled a lawsuit accusing it of designing social media products to foster addictive behavior in minors, a lawyer for one plaintiff said, removing the company from a case that was days from opening statements in Los Angeles. Terms were not disclosed. Snap, Snapchat’s parent, remains a defendant and will now face the trial alone.
Details:
- The plaintiffs: The 2023 suit was brought by a 16-year-old girl identified in court filings as S.J. and an 18-year-old woman identified as K.D.B. Both alleged in court filings that using the platforms from a young age contributed to mental health problems.
- Who dropped out: The two plaintiffs originally also sued TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube, and settled with both companies before trial. Meta’s settlement leaves Snap as the only remaining defendant, after the case had been narrowed from four of the largest social platforms to one.
- The timing: Jury selection began in Los Angeles this week and opening statements were expected in early November. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have said they expect the trial against Snap to run into mid-December.
- Plaintiff reaction: Emily Jeffcott, trial counsel for K.D.B., said in a statement that her side remains committed to improving safety for children on social media apps and to holding technology companies accountable, and described the outcome as a just resolution for her client.
- Meta’s position: A Meta spokesperson said trials, dismissals and settlements are all common in the bellwether process and that the company will continue to defend itself in court. Meta said it has spent more than a decade building protections for teenagers and stands by its record.
- The restrictions cited: Meta pointed to an agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general that it says goes further than its existing safeguards, imposing strict time limits, blocking access at night and halting notifications during school hours.
- The bigger payout: In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to dozens of states that alleged the company used Facebook and Instagram to hook young internet users while concealing the risks. That settlement dwarfs anything disclosed in the Los Angeles case.
- Still exposed: Meta continues to face similar litigation alleging its platforms damage users’ mental health. The company did not disclose the settlement amount, and lead counsel for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Snap also did not immediately respond.
Background:
The Los Angeles case is a bellwether: an early trial whose outcome signals how juries may treat the wider pool of claims that social platforms were engineered to addict minors. Thousands of comparable suits await resolution across US courts.
Between the lines:
Meta’s own framing is that settlements are routine in bellwether litigation, which is also an argument that this one sets no precedent. But the company exited after jury selection had already begun, and it did so weeks after agreeing to pay up to $17.1 billion to states over the same underlying allegations. Snap is now left to test in open court the defense Meta chose not to put before a jury.
What’s next
Opening statements against Snap were expected in early November in Los Angeles, with the trial projected to run into mid-December. A verdict would be the first jury test of addiction-by-design claims against a major platform.
