Meta Platforms settled with the remaining plaintiff in a Los Angeles state court trial over social media’s addictive effects on minors, leaving Snap Inc. as the sole defendant. The case is considered a key test for thousands of similar lawsuits. TikTok and YouTube, which were also named in the case, settled before the trial began.
The trial will now focus exclusively on allegations that Snapchat’s design features were intentionally engineered to be addictive and contributed to mental health problems among young users. The case puts Snap under significant legal and reputational scrutiny. Its outcome could set a precedent for numerous other pending cases against social media companies.