Snap last of 4 social media defendants to settle teen addiction suit

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Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, settled a social media addiction lawsuit brought by two teenagers Nov. 2, resolving the claims days before the case was scheduled to go to trial, CBS News reported Nov. 2.

The plaintiffs, identified in court filings as S.J. and K.D.B., alleged that Snapchat was designed to be addictive and that using the platform from a young age contributed to their mental health problems.

The settlement terms were not disclosed, according to K.D.B.’s trial counsel, Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Emily Jeffcott. Snap told CBS News that the parties resolved the matter amicably.

Snap was the last of four social media companies named in the lawsuit to settle. Meta resolved its claims the week before, and Alphabet and TikTok also settled. Opening arguments had been set for the week of Nov. 2.

In a separate case in August, Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and add child-safety measures to its platforms to settle a lawsuit brought by dozens of states. The states alleged that Meta designed its platforms to be addictive and misled the public about the risks.

The case was one of several lawsuits alleging that social media platforms harmed young users’ mental health and were engineered to keep them hooked. Earlier this year, a jury in a separate case found Meta and Google-owned YouTube liable and awarded the lead plaintiff $6 million.

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