Snap Pays to End Trial Over Teen Addiction Claims

Snap Inc. settled a lawsuit filed by two teenagers during an ongoing trial in Los Angeles state court. The company resolved the claims before a jury could deliver a verdict. Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the deal on Monday.

The case involved S.J., a 16-year-old resident of Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi. The teenagers alleged that Snap designed its platform to be addictive. They claimed this design caused their depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The plaintiffs pointed to features like autoplay and infinite scroll as the drivers of their compulsive habits.

John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, lawyers representing K.D.B., stated that the settlement helps them build toward holding social media companies accountable. They said these actions have impacted millions of children across the country.

This was the second trial in Los Angeles state court focused on young people’s claims against major tech firms. The first trial ended in March. A Los Angeles jury found Meta Platforms and YouTube negligent in that case. The jury awarded a young woman $6 million in damages.

Snap had previously settled other cases that were scheduled for trial. This made the current case the first for Snap in the broader litigation. Evan Spiegel, the chief executive of Snap, was expected to testify in this proceeding.

The plaintiffs had already reached settlements with Meta, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube division. The companies generally rejected the idea that their platforms were designed to addict young people. They argued they took steps to make the apps safe spaces for expression.

Social media firms face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts. These suits come from individuals, school districts, and municipalities. The legal actions allege the companies knowingly sought to addict children, contributing to a youth mental health crisis. In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to resolve lawsuits from state attorneys general. That deal conditioned $5 billion of the payout on similar settlements with Snap, TikTok, and YouTube.