Snap settles LA teen addiction lawsuit

Snap Inc. has reached a settlement with two teenagers who alleged that years of compulsive use of Snapchat contributed to their depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The agreement was reached during jury selection in Los Angeles, allowing the company to avoid a trial in California state court that had been scheduled to begin this week. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

The plaintiffs are a 16-year-old girl from Illinois, identified as S.J., and an 18-year-old woman from Mississippi, identified as K.D.B.; both say they developed compulsive habits on Snapchat and other social networks, which they blame in part for their mental health struggles.

The teenagers contend that Snapchat and other platforms were designed to encourage compulsive use, pointing to features such as autoplay and infinite scroll. They allege that this design kept them engaged for extensive periods, which they link to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The companies involved have rejected claims that their apps were designed to addict young people and say they have taken steps to make the platforms safer for teen users, including new parental controls and resources.

In this Los Angeles proceeding, the judge combined the two teens’ cases and designated them as bellwethers from a larger pool of litigation. Outcomes in such early trials can help shape settlement negotiations by giving both sides insight into how juries view the evidence and how remaining cases might be valued.

The settlement with Snap arises within a broader coordinated proceeding in Los Angeles that includes more than 3,300 personal injury lawsuits involving social media use. The two teens had already reached confidential agreements with Meta (META) Platforms, TikTok and Google (GOOGL)’s YouTube before resolving their claims against Snap.

In the first bellwether trial in this litigation, a jury found Meta (META) and Google (GOOGL) negligent and set total damages at $6 million. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge later denied both companies’ requests for a new trial, and they have said they plan to appeal. Snap and TikTok settled with that earlier plaintiff before the case went to trial.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers involved in the current settlement have said their goal is to hold social media companies accountable for how their products affect children and to pursue broader design changes that protect young users. They argue that families should not be forced to go before a jury to address what they describe as a large-scale problem, and have signaled that they will continue trying similar cases.

The Los Angeles docket has already seen changes as cases evolve. A 15-year-old New Jersey plaintiff dropped her bellwether claims against Meta, Google and Snap in August without receiving payment from them. The new settlement with S.J. and K.D.B. removes another high-profile test case from the trial calendar while the remaining lawsuits and appeals continue through the courts.