Snap has settled a social media addiction lawsuit just days before a scheduled trial that would have marked the first time a major social media company faced a jury over claims that its platform was deliberately designed to be addictive. The settlement was announced Tuesday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County, according to multiple news reports.
The case was brought by a 19-year-old identified in court documents as K.G.M., who accused Snapchat of using algorithms and features specifically designed to hook users and cause mental health problems. While the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed, the move comes as the social media industry faces mounting legal pressure over the effects of its platforms on young people.
Background
The lawsuit against Snap is part of a larger wave of litigation targeting major social media companies over their design practices and impact on teens. The case draws comparisons to lawsuits against tobacco companies in the 1990s, when cigarette makers were accused of hiding the health risks of smoking from the public. Plaintiffs in these cases argue that social media platforms have similarly concealed information about potential harms while building features they knew could trap users.
Internal documents that have surfaced during litigation show that Snap employees raised concerns about risks to teen mental health going back at least nine years. The company has disputed these documents, saying they were "cherry-picked" and taken out of context.
The features at the center of these lawsuits are common across the industry. Infinite scroll, which allows users to keep scrolling through content endlessly without a natural stopping point, auto-play video, and algorithmic recommendations that serve content tailored to individual users are all standard tools used by major platforms. Plaintiffs argue these features are designed to maximize how much time users spend on apps, leading to depression, eating disorders, and self-harm.
Key Details
Snap's settlement removes the company from what would have been a major trial. Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel had been scheduled to testify, which would have made this the first social media addiction case to go before a jury. To date, no major social media platform has lost such a case at trial.
The settlement does not resolve the broader legal challenge facing the industry. The lawsuit also named Meta, YouTube, and TikTok as defendants, and those companies have not reached settlements. Jury selection for the case against these three platforms is set to begin on Monday, January 27.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, is expected to take the witness stand in that trial, marking a rare public appearance by a tech executive in a case of this magnitude.
The Remaining Cases
Snap remains a defendant in other similar social media addiction cases beyond the one it just settled. The company faces multiple lawsuits with comparable allegations about addictive design and harm to young users.
The legal strategy being used by the platforms mirrors free speech arguments. The companies argue that features like algorithmic recommendations, push notifications, and infinite scroll are similar to a newspaper deciding which stories to put on the front page. They contend this editorial choice is protected speech under the First Amendment.
What This Means
The settlement signals that Snap saw significant risk in proceeding to trial, even though no social media company has lost such a case before. It also suggests the company may have faced a difficult jury pool or weak legal arguments compared to what it could argue in appeals court.
"If plaintiffs prevail, legal experts predict the cases could result in multibillion-dollar settlements and potentially force platforms to redesign their products."
The outcome of the remaining case against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube could reshape how social media companies operate. If plaintiffs win, platforms may need to remove or modify the features they say drive engagement, including infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations.
For Snap, the settlement provides relief from the immediate threat of a jury verdict but does not eliminate its legal exposure. The company still faces other addiction-related lawsuits, and the precedent set by trials involving its competitors could influence how those cases proceed.
The tech industry is watching closely. A major verdict against Meta, YouTube, or TikTok could open the door to a wave of similar lawsuits and potentially change how platforms design their products. It could also strengthen the hand of state attorneys general, like Utah's, which have filed their own cases accusing Snapchat of creating an addictive platform that harms teenagers.
Jury selection in the remaining case begins in six days, setting the stage for what could be a key moment in how the law treats social media companies and their design choices.
