Social media platforms are facing allegations of intentionally designing their platforms to be addictive in nature. This apparently is causing mental harm among young users. But there seems to be an unexpected turn of events. A US teen girl has reportedly dropped her lawsuit against Meta, Google, and Snap ahead of trial.
US teen lawsuit involving Meta, Google, and Snap won’t reach trial
The plaintiff, a 15-year-old New Jersey girl, identified in California court records as P.M-Y., had accused the companies of deliberately fostering social media addiction and contributing to mental health issues among young users. But she has now dropped the case, according to a court filing. The companies note that she dropped her claims without any payment. One of the defendants in her case, TikTok, had previously settled her claims.
Emily Jeffcott, an attorney for P.M-Y., said that her client dropped the remainder of her claims to continue her life. She “initiated this process with the goal of holding social media companies accountable and to push for changes to protect young people like herself,” Jeffcott said.
Meta faces two trials over claims that it designed its platforms to be addictive to children and mislead the public. One trial, which began this week involving 29 states, is proceeding in federal court in Oakland, California. Another case, brought by Tennessee, is ongoing in state court in Nashville.
Dropped without any payment from the companies
P.M-Y.’s lawsuit was among more than 3,300 personal injury cases consolidated in California state court in Los Angeles. It was also chosen as one of three “bellwether” cases set to go to trial in October. Attorneys often use bellwether verdicts to gauge how juries may view similar claims, estimate the value of other cases, and guide settlement talks.
Meta, in a statement, said that the plaintiff had a significant mental health condition before she started using social media and that many other cases follow a similar pattern. The company added that it would continue to defend itself against the remaining cases.
In a statement, YouTube said the decision to drop the case affirms “our longstanding position that we provide safe, age-appropriate experiences and strong parental controls for young people and families.” A Snap spokesperson added that the company remains focused on strengthening safeguards, tools and educational resources to support users’ safety and privacy.
Trial in October
Meanwhile, two other cases brought by teens making similar claims against the tech companies will go to trial in October. TikTok settled those cases already. Another bellwether case ended before trial in July, when a teenage plaintiff dropped his claims after defendants settled.
The first individual trial in the litigation ended in March, with Meta ordered to pay $4.2 million and Google $1.8 million. The case was brought by a woman who said she became addicted to social media at a young age. TikTok and Snap settled the case before the trial began.
The post Teen Drops Key Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Before Trial appeared first on Android Headlines.
