It dodges the Los Angeles trial awaiting Meta Platforms and YouTube
TikTok has settled with a young woman who filed a suit against the company, Snap, Meta Platforms, and YouTube claiming that social media platforms are designed to drive young users to addiction, reported the Wall Street Journal.
According to Beasley Allen lawyer Joseph VanZandt, who was co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, the settlement terms with TikTok are private. Snap had also settled with the plaintiff.
The landmark case was described by WSJ as the first of its kind, addressing whether or not social media platforms intentionally cause mental health issues. The plaintiff in this case, now 20 years old, alleged that using social media as a teenager resulted in issues with body dysmorphia, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, addiction, and depression.
Her suit is similar to about 3,000 others filed in California. Individuals, school districts, and attorneys general have also filed over 2,000 cases in federal court, according to WSJ.
Plaintiffs claimed that social media companies’ internal documents would reveal how they constructed tools like infinite scroll knowing that they would drive addiction to the platforms. Teenagers are seeking compensation for pain and suffering in addition to punitive damages; WSJ noted that the plaintiffs’ approach is similar to that used against pharmaceutical or tobacco companies.
Social media companies accused the suits of being misleading, pointing to years of investment in online safety measures. Jury selection for the trial in Los Angeles commenced last month.
The trial is expected to run for six weeks. Meta and YouTube are set to make their opening statements this week, with Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri expected to testify.
Although it has settled with the plaintiff for this case, TikTok is still a defendant in other suits, as is Snap.
In a recent WSJ poll, 71 percent of respondents supported banning children under 16 years old from using most social media tools.
