Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has settled a civil lawsuit shortly before it was due to begin in California. The case, which also involves Meta (owner of Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube, is one of several bellwether trials consolidating thousands of lawsuits alleging social media addiction has harmed young users.
The plaintiff, a 19-year-old woman identified as K.G.M., claims she developed mental health problems after becoming addicted to social media apps. Snap's chief executive, Evan Spiegel, had been scheduled to testify in the case, but the company told the BBC the parties were “pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.”
The other defendants have not settled and still face trial, which is due to begin on 27 January with jury selection. Last year, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the platforms’ design features may be responsible for harm, rejecting the companies’ reliance on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which typically exempts platforms from liability for user-generated content.
Beasley Allen, a law firm representing plaintiffs, has said the cases could have profound consequences, including billions of dollars in damages, changes to platform design, and new US regulations governing how tech firms interact with minors. The firm compared the litigation to landmark cases against big tobacco and opioid manufacturers, industries held accountable for public health harms after years of denial.
