Snapchat reaches settlement in case after teens allege platform designed to be addictive
Two teens brought forward lawsuit alleging addictive platform caused issues like depression
Snapchat parent Snap Inc. has reached a settlement during a trial over claims brought by two teenagers who say the company designed the platform to be addictive, causing their depression, anxiety and eating disorders, attorneys for the plaintiffs said on Monday.
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attorneys → reach → Monday
Jury selection began last week for the trial, the second in Los Angeles state court over claims brought by young people who say they became addicted to social media after Snap, Meta Platforms, TikTok and Alphabet's YouTube designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use.
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Snap → begin → use
The plaintiffs had previously settled with Meta, TikTok and YouTube.
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plaintiffs → settle → Meta
"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," John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, trial attorneys for plaintiff K.D.B., said in a statement.
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Morgan → hold → statement
The trial was set to be the first for Snap in the sweeping litigation over social media's impact on teens, after the company settled the other cases that had been scheduled for trial.
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that → set → trial
The company's chief executive, Evan Spiegel, had been expected to testify.
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executive → expect → ?
The case had been selected from thousands of pending lawsuits as a bellwether intended to test the claims against Snap and the other companies and potentially influence how similar cases are resolved.
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cases → select → Snap
The next bellwether trials are scheduled to begin in March, according to the plaintiffs' lawyers.
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trials → schedule → lawyers
Companies like Snapchat have rejected claims that their platforms are designed to be addictive.
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platforms → reject → claims
The next bellweather trials over social media's impact on teens are expected to begin in March.
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trials → expect → March
A Snap spokesperson said in a statement that the company has built safeguards, launched safety tutorials and partnered with experts, and remains committed to "continually strengthening the safety, privacy, and well-being of our community."
Plaintiffs S.J., a 16-year-old girl from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi, say they began using YouTube as early as age 3 and the other platforms around age 9, developing compulsive habits they blame on features such as autoplay and infinite scroll.
The companies have rejected claims their platforms were designed to addict young people, and say they have taken action to make the apps safe places for young people to express themselves.
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people → say → themselves
Wave of lawsuits
Social media companies are facing thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts brought by individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government entities alleging the companies knowingly sought to addict children to their platforms, contributing to a youth mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression and suicide.
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companies → face → anxiety
Around 30 states have filed lawsuits against the companies, court records show.
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records → file → companies
TikTok settles landmark lawsuit over youth addiction claims
Kids and young adults are addicted to screens.
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Kids → settle → screens
New research argues it may be a public health concern
How teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook are changing after Meta's $18B US settlement
In the first case to go to trial, which ended in March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube had been negligent and awarded a young woman $6 million US in damages.
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Meta → argue → damages
The next two teens whose cases were selected for trials either settled or dropped their claims against the companies.
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cases → select → companies
The first school district chosen for trial settled with all of the companies.
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district → choose → companies
Also in March, Meta lost both phases of a lawsuit brought by New Mexico, and was ordered to pay $375 million US after a jury found it had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms.
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it → lose → platforms
In August, Meta struck settlements worth up to $18 billion US with nearly every state and U.S. territory to resolve lawsuits brought by attorneys general over claims its platforms harmed teens and agreed to make changes to how Instagram and Facebook work for teens.
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Instagram → strike → teens
The deal conditioned $5 billion US of the payout on the states reaching similar settlements with Snap, TikTok and YouTube.
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states → condition → Snap
Meta agreed for the next decade to restrict teenagers' use of Facebook and Instagram to two hours a day, among other platform changes.
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Meta → agree → changes
The lawsuits come amid a rise in legislation banning teenagers from using social media, such as an active ban in Australia and a proposed bill in Canada.
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lawsuits → come → Canada
Legal experts have raised red flags about this legislation, saying it may violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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it → raise → Rights
The Aporia
