Snap settles social media addiction lawsuit before trial

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has settled a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just days before the case was set to go to trial in Los Angeles.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but lawyers revealed the settlement at a California Superior Court hearing. Following the announcement, Snap told the BBC that all parties were pleased to have resolved the matter amicably.

Other defendants in the case, including Instagram parent Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube, have not settled. The plaintiff, a 19-year-old woman identified as K.G.M., alleged that the algorithmic design of these platforms led to her addiction and negatively impacted her mental health.

With no settlement in place with the other parties, the trial against the remaining three defendants is scheduled to proceed, with jury selection set to begin on January 27. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify, and until the settlement, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel was also slated to take the stand.

Meta, TikTok, and Alphabet did not respond to BBC inquiries seeking their reaction to the settlement. Snap remains a defendant in other social media addiction cases consolidated in the court.

These closely watched cases could challenge a legal theory that social media companies have used to shield themselves from liability. They argue that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects them from liability for content posted by third parties on their platforms.

However, plaintiffs contend that the platforms are designed to foster addiction through algorithm and notification choices. The social media companies claim the plaintiffs’ evidence does not sufficiently prove they are responsible for alleged harms such as depression and eating disorders.

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