ByteDance settles minors' social media addiction case

On the night before the jury selection began Tuesday in the first minors' social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, ByteDance for Tik Tok defendants settled on undisclosed terms, a plaintiffs' attorney said.

It is the second settlement in the case in the past week as Snap Inc. reached an undisclosed agreement with a teen identified as K.G.M. days before a final status conference Monday.

The announcement was made by plaintiffs' attorney Mark Lanier, The Lanier Law Firm founder, who spoke to reporters outside of the courtroom an hour before jury selection began.

For now, Meta and Google remain on the case.

The plaintiffs in the bellwether cases accused social media companies of deliberately designing their products to addict children and teens, causing them harms such as depression and suicidal thoughts.

The companies have rejected these claims and also argued that they are protected under federal law for what third parties post on their platforms.