After TikTok, Snap settles social media addiction case

In Brief

Snap is the latest big tech company to settle a lawsuit that claimed social media platforms are harmful to children and young adults. The company has reached a “tentative” agreement in a case that was set to go to trial later this month.

TikTok recently settled its portion of the case with the plaintiff, known by the initials “R.K.C.,” ahead of a jury trial that starts next week in Los Angeles.

YouTube has also reached a deal, leaving Meta as the only remaining defendant.

Meta has lost similar child safety lawsuits focused on social media, including one in New Mexico earlier this year, which marked its first courtroom defeat over the matter. In March, a Los Angeles jury also handed the social media giant, along with Google, another defeat, and awarded the defendant in that case, who went by “K.G.M,” or Kaley, $6 million in damages.

The precedents set by these cases are encouraging a wave of lawsuits against social media platforms over their purported harms, including their addictive nature and algorithms that negatively impact children and teens’ mental health. The results of these lawsuits could see the companies reshaping their platforms with more robust child safety measures, parental controls, and other design choices that could help them avoid future litigation.

The terms of Snap’s agreement weren’t disclosed, but Bloomberg reports that Snap confirmed the settlement has been achieved.

Snap did not immediately return a request for comment.

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