Meta has reached a settlement in another social media addiction lawsuit in a move that allows it to avoid a trial that was due to start next month. Snap is now the sole defendant in the case, which is one of several closely watched lawsuits against social media platforms.
The lawsuit was brought by an 18-year-old woman from Mississippi known as KDB, who reportedly Reutersdescribed “staying awake for hours scrolling through social media, losing focus in class and self-harming using methods shown in social media videos.” Jury selection began earlier this week in Los Angeles.
On Friday, KDB’s lawyer announced that she had reached a settlement with Meta after previously settling with TikTok and YouTube. “We remain committed to improving safety for children on social media apps and holding technology companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client,” attorney Emily Jeffcott said in a statement.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed and Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Now, Snap is the only remaining defendant in the case. CEO Evan Spiegel is expected to testify in the trial, which could take several weeks. When he takes the stand, it will be the first time the Snap founder has appeared in a social media addiction trial. Snap previously settled in another high-profile case involving similar claims. A jury later ruled against Meta and YouTube in the lawsuit and the two were ordered to pay $6 million in damages.
In a statement, a Snap spokesperson did not comment on Meta’s settlement, but said the lawsuit “fundamentally misrepresent(s)” how Snapchat works. “From the beginning, Snapchat has been built differently from traditional social media: it opens to a camera, not a feed, not a ranking of what other people post or other social comparison metrics,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve built safeguards into the platform, introduced safety tools and educational resources, and we believe the evidence supports that we put our community first, and that these allegations fundamentally misrepresent the plaintiffs’ experiences on Snapchat and how our platform was designed.”
Meta and Snap have both faced a flood of lawsuits over alleged security lapses and social media addiction. Snap also recently settled a long-running lawsuit over its “speed filter,” which was alleged to have played a role in several high-speed car crashes involving teenagers.