A day after Snap reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit regarding social media addiction, only Meta remains as a defendant, and the case has now been withdrawn. According to a statement from Meta, the plaintiff opted to dismiss his claims against the company without receiving financial compensation.
Previously, TikTok and Google’s YouTube had come to settlement agreements with the plaintiff. Snap confirmed on Tuesday that it had tentatively settled the matter.
The jury trial, which was set to be a significant event, was scheduled to take place next week in Los Angeles’ Superior Court of California.
The plaintiff, a teenager from Florida known by the initials “R.K.C.,” had filed a lawsuit against various social media platforms, alleging they had developed addictive technologies. This case was one among thousands of similar lawsuits from youths, educational institutions, and state attorneys general, all asserting that major tech companies had intentionally created addictive environments.
The implications of this lawsuit and others like it could have influenced how these companies design their applications, particularly those features that enhance user engagement, such as infinite scrolling and constant notifications.
The plaintiff’s decision to withdraw follows Meta’s recent defeat in a separate case in New Mexico, which was its first loss in court concerning social media-related harms. In that case, a court ruled that Meta misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and posed risks to children, leading to a $375 million penalty.
Earlier in March, a jury in Los Angeles also dealt a blow to both Meta and Google, awarding $6 million in damages to the claimant in that instance.
As part of its defense, Meta was prepared to argue that the plaintiff had reportedly used Facebook and Instagram for only a few minutes daily and intended to assert that most of his accounts had been created after he engaged legal representation.
In its official statement, Meta emphasized, “This outcome clearly demonstrates that we will vigorously defend ourselves against unfounded lawsuits.”
