Meta settles second teen addiction lawsuit as Snap trial continues

Meta reached a confidential settlement with a teen plaintiff identified in court documents as K.D.B. on Friday. The plaintiff's attorneys said the agreement resolves claims that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive, causing the teen mental health problems.

This resolution follows a similar agreement reached just one day earlier with another teen plaintiff, S.J. Both settlements keep their financial terms private. In the weeks before the current trial began, TikTok and YouTube also reached agreements to resolve their own claims brought by S.J. and K.D.B.

Emily Jeffcott, the trial counsel for K.D.B., said the firm remains committed to improving safety for children on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable. She noted that the team is pleased to have brought the matter to a just resolution on behalf of their client.

Snap Inc. is now the only defendant remaining in the trial, which started this week in Los Angeles with jury selection. Opening arguments are scheduled for Nov. 4. The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat designed features to maximize the time young users spend on the app. These features include Snapstreaks, Snapscores, and filters that the plaintiffs say trigger compulsive use, leading to severe physical and mental health issues such as self-harm.

This case is the fourth bellwether in a consolidated group of lawsuits filed against Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap. More than 1,600 plaintiffs are involved, including over 350 families and more than 250 school districts. The group accuses the tech companies of knowingly designing addictive products that harm young users' mental health.

Historically, social media platforms have been shielded from such liability by Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934. This provision states that internet companies are not liable for the content users post. Meta has repeatedly denied that its apps are purposefully harmful or addictive for young users.

In March, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Google's YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their platforms in a landmark trial. The jurors determined that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to plaintiff K.G.M. and that the companies failed to warn users of the dangers. The jury awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, assigning 70% of the responsibility to Meta and 30% to YouTube.

Meta also agreed in August to settle a wide-ranging lawsuit with 29 states for approximately $18 billion. In a statement to NBC News on Friday, a Meta spokesperson said the company will continue to defend itself in court. The statement highlighted a decade of building protections for teens, including strict time limits and no notifications during school hours under an agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general. A Snap spokesperson said the platform was built differently from traditional social media, opening to a camera rather than a feed, and that safeguards and educational resources support the belief that the company has put its community first.