Meta dodges next social media addiction trial
A minor plaintiff has dropped their case against Meta, which was set to be the second bellwether trial over social media addiction. Meta avoided paying a settlement, but other cases are still ongoing.
Less than a week before Meta’s lawyers were to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom, the plaintiff accusing the platform of causing harm withdrew the lawsuit. The case was brought by a 15-year-old Florida minor identified by initials R.K.C. It was intended to be the second in a series of bellwether trials testing legal arguments that social media giants broke the law by creating features that hooked and harmed teens.
TikTok, Snap, and YouTube had previously settled with R.K.C. for undisclosed amounts. “In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weekslong trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta,” R.K.C.’s lawyers Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi said in a statement. “He’s ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life.” This means Meta avoided paying any settlement in this case.
“The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement. Multiple cases have already begun to test claims that social media companies allegedly misled users about product safety and inflicted harm. In the first bellwether trial at the same courthouse, Meta and Google’s YouTube lost, with a jury finding them negligent and ordering $6 million in total compensatory and punitive damages.
Separately, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay a $375 million penalty, and the state is preparing for the next trial phase seeking structural business changes. There are still seven more bellwether cases pending in the California state court in LA, and a separate set of cases in a federal court in Oakland. Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube settled with a school district that was set to be the first in that separate bellwether series, seeking funds to cover mental health costs for students allegedly harmed by the platforms. Meta still faces claims brought by state attorneys general in federal court next month, alleging it illegally misled the public about harmful and allegedly addictive features.
