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Snap settles two teens' social media addiction lawsuit, avoiding a Los Angeles trial

Terms were not disclosed, and the two teenagers had already settled with Meta, TikTok and YouTube before the trial was to begin.

5 news outlets reported this
Liberal1 outletSnap was last of the companies to settleCenter1 outletSnap avoids the next addiction trialConservative3 outletsTeens settle with Snap, ending the trial
Published 3 min read
Overview

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, settled a social media addiction lawsuit on Monday, Nov. 2, before a trial could go forward in California state court in Los Angeles. Two teenagers brought the case. They are S.J., 16, of Illinois, and K.D.B., 18, of Mississippi.

They say heavy use of Snapchat and other platforms led to depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and that the apps were designed to be addictive. Terms were not disclosed. The two had earlier settled with Meta, TikTok and YouTube.

The companies deny the claims and say they have taken steps to make the apps safe for young people. Snap said the parties were pleased to resolve the matter "in an amicable manner." The case was a bellwether, chosen from thousands of lawsuits to test the claims.

A Los Angeles jury in the first such trial, which concluded in March, held Meta and YouTube negligent and awarded a young woman $6 million. The plaintiffs' lawyers say the next bellwether trials are set to begin in March. Attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, who represent K.D.B., said the settlements let them keep building toward holding social media companies accountable.

Key figures
  • $6 million jury award to the first bellwether plaintiff against Meta and YouTube — New York Post
  • Up to $18 billion Meta's August settlements with nearly every state and US territory — New York Post
  • Up to $3 billion Bloomberg Intelligence estimate of Snap's litigation exposure through 2029 — The Seattle Times
  • $9.4 billion Snap's approximate market cap — The Seattle Times

Three sides of the story

Liberal1 outlet

Snap was last of the companies to settle

CBS News reports that Snap settled on Monday, ahead of a trial that had been scheduled, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs. It says Snap was the last of the defendants to settle, after Alphabet and TikTok. Lead counsel Mark Lanier tells CBS his side is "glad to reach resolution" and believes the jury "would have found the companies' conduct reprehensible."

Citing Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Emily Jeffcott, trial counsel for K.D.B., CBS says the terms were not disclosed. Snap says the parties are pleased to have resolved the matter amicably. CBS describes the suit as one of several bellwether cases alleging that platforms were designed to keep young users hooked and harmed their mental health.

It adds that an earlier jury held Meta and Google-owned YouTube liable, with a $6 million award for the lead plaintiff, and that Meta agreed in August to add child-safety measures in a settlement with dozens of states.

Center1 outlet

Snap avoids the next addiction trial

The Seattle Times reports that Snap settled partway through jury selection in Los Angeles, which lets it avoid the next high-profile social media addiction trial. Attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott say the settlements "allow us to keep building toward that goal" of holding the companies accountable. Snap says the parties are pleased to have resolved the matter amicably and that it has built safeguards and consulted experts.

The paper notes that the companies deny the allegations and point to tools for parents. Plaintiffs' trial counsel Mark Lanier says teens need "a permanent fix, real design changes," not "case-by-case patches." Further down, the report turns to Snap's finances: shares up more than 3% on Monday, a market cap of roughly $9.4 billion, and a Bloomberg Intelligence estimate that exposure through 2029 "could be as much as $3 billion."

It also explains what bellwether cases are and recounts the first one, in which a young woman won $6 million against Meta and Google.

Conservative3 outlets

Teens settle with Snap, ending the trial

The New York Post, in a piece bylined to Reuters, leads with the settlement reached during trial and adds that Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had been expected to testify. It lists the plaintiffs' blame for features such as autoplay and infinite scroll, says the plaintiffs' lawyers put the next bellwether trials in March, and gives Meta's August deal as worth up to $18 billion, with $5 billion tied to similar settlements by Snap, TikTok and YouTube. Just the News reports the settlement with the same attorney quote and says the companies "rejected claims" that their platforms were intended to addict young people. The Epoch Times calls it a "Landmark" suit that avoids trial "Again" and quotes Mark Lanier telling Judge Carolyn Kuhl on Nov. 2: "We have settled with all of the defendants for both plaintiffs."

All sources: 5 articles from 5 outlets

Liberal (1)

Center (1)

Conservative (3)