Snap settles lawsuit over social media addiction allegations

Snap Settles Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Before Trial

Just days before a trial was set to begin, Snap has reached a settlement in a lawsuit that accused the company of fostering social media addiction, according to reports from several news organizations.

The agreement was revealed on Tuesday in Los Angeles County’s California Superior Court. The case was initiated by a 19-year-old, identified in legal documents as K.G.M., who alleged that Snap intentionally engineered its platform’s features and algorithms to encourage compulsive use and negatively impact users’ mental health.

Details regarding the settlement remain confidential and have not been made public.

The lawsuit also targeted other major social media companies, including Meta, YouTube, and TikTok. However, these companies have not reached any settlements and continue to face legal action. Snap, meanwhile, is still involved in additional lawsuits related to social media addiction.

Internal records disclosed during ongoing litigation show that Snap employees had voiced concerns about the platform’s potential mental health risks for teenagers as far back as nine years ago. Snap has responded by stating that these internal examples were selectively chosen and misrepresented.

Plaintiffs in these lawsuits have drawn comparisons to the legal battles against tobacco companies in the 1990s, arguing that social media platforms have hidden information about the dangers their products pose. They claim that features such as endless scrolling, automatic video playback, and algorithm-driven recommendations are designed to keep users engaged, which can contribute to issues like depression, eating disorders, and self-harm, as reported by the New York Times.

Snap’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, had been expected to testify during the trial, which would have been the first time a social media company faced a jury over addiction-related claims. No company has yet lost such a case in court. The lawsuits against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are moving forward, with jury selection scheduled to start on Monday, January 27. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is anticipated to testify.

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Legal analysts suggest that if the plaintiffs succeed, these cases could lead to settlements worth billions and might require social media companies to alter how their platforms operate. The companies, however, have defended their practices by comparing their content curation and engagement features—such as algorithmic feeds, notifications, and infinite scrolling—to editorial decisions made by newspapers, arguing that these are protected forms of expression under the First Amendment.

Snap has not yet issued a public statement regarding the settlement.