Snap settles social media addiction litigation ahead of trial

Snap Inc., parent of Snapchat, reached a settlement on Tuesday in a social media addiction lawsuit just ahead of a landmark trial that could shape a wave of similar cases against major technology companies, including Meta, TikTok and YouTube.

"The parties are pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner," read a joint statement by Snap and Matthew P. Bergman of the Social Media Victims Law Center in Seattle, which brought the case.

Jonathan H. Blavin represents Snap in the litigation and Houston-based attorney Mark Lanier is set to lead the plaintiffs' case. The other defendants are Meta Platforms, operator of Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance Ltd., operator of TikTok, and YouTube. Trial is set to begin next week before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl. Social Media Cases, JCCP5255 (Los Angeles County Sup. Ct., filed Oct. 24, 2022)

There is a companion federal action pending in the Northern District of California. In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, 22-MD-03047 (N.D. Cal., filed Oct. 6, 2022).

The lawsuits, brought by teenagers, school districts and state attorneys general, allege that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and algorithmic recommendations were deliberately designed to foster compulsive use among young people, leading to mental health harms like depression, eating disorders and self-harm.

The agreement came days before trial in a California case brought by a teen identified as K.G.M. The bellwether cases are being closely watched because plaintiffs are advancing a novel theory that social media platforms are inherently defective products subject to personal injury liability, a claim the companies dispute by denying a scientific link to addiction and asserting constitutional speech protections.

Other plaintiffs' firms involved in the litigation are Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles PC Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP and Kiesel Law LLP.