Snap Inc. has settled a social media addiction lawsuit days before a scheduled trial, according to multiple reports. The New York Times reported the settlement occurred Tuesday in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.
The lawsuit, filed by a 19-year-old identified as K.G.M., alleged Snap’s algorithms and features contributed to addiction and mental health issues. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Meta Platforms Inc., Google’s YouTube, and ByteDance’s TikTok also face similar lawsuits, but no settlements have been reached with these companies. Snap remains a defendant in other social media addiction cases.
Court documents in ongoing cases indicate Snap employees raised concerns regarding teen mental health risks at least nine years ago. Snap has stated these examples were “cherry-picked” and taken out of context.
Plaintiffs in these cases have drawn comparisons to 1990s lawsuits against tobacco companies, alleging platforms concealed potential harms from users. They argue features such as infinite scroll, auto-play video, and algorithmic recommendations compel continuous app use, leading to depression, eating disorders, and self-harm, the NYT reported.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had been scheduled to testify in the trial, which would have marked the first instance of a social media company facing a jury in an addiction lawsuit. No platform has lost a similar case at trial. The remaining case against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube is set for jury selection beginning Monday, January 27, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify.
Legal experts predict that if plaintiffs prevail, cases could result in multibillion-dollar settlements and product redesigns. Companies have argued these design choices, including algorithmic recommendations, push notifications, and infinite scroll, resemble newspaper editorial decisions and constitute protected speech under the First Amendment.
