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Snap has reached a settlement in a Los Angeles trial involving claims that its platform design caused depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in teenagers.
Snap has settled a lawsuit involving claims that the company designed its platform to be addictive, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs on Monday. The settlement comes two days before opening statements were scheduled to begin in a Los Angeles courtroom.
The case involved two plaintiffs, identified by their initials as K.D.B. and S.J. According to court documents, the plaintiffs were expected to argue they were exposed to “addictive and problematic” social media apps when they started using them at ages 13 and 15, respectively.
In a statement, lawyers for the plaintiffs said, “We are proud to have achieved justice for our bellwether clients so far, including K.D.B. and S.J.,” and added, “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.”
Snap said in a statement that it was “pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.”
This case was part of a series of bellwether trials intended to guide the resolution of hundreds of similar lawsuits across the United States. Other companies named in the broader litigation include Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
The lawsuits allege that social media companies knowingly sought to addict children to their platforms, contributing to a youth mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression, and suicide. Plaintiffs in this specific case claimed they developed compulsive habits due to features such as autoplay and infinite scroll.
Social media companies have rejected claims that their platforms were designed to addict young people. They state they have taken action to make their apps safe places for young people to express themselves.
By settling before a trial begins, companies can contain costs related to lawyer fees and potential penalties. Settlements also prevent executives, such as Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, from being called to testify or having internal documents entered into the public domain.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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