TikTok Settles With US Teenager Ahead of Social Media Addiction Trial

TikTok has reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a Florida teenager who sued the company and other social media platforms, alleging they harmed his mental health, according to an attorney for the plaintiff.

The terms of the settlement are still being finalised, representatives for the plaintiff’s lawyers said in a statement.

According to NBC News, the 15-year-old boy, identified in court filings by his initials, R.K.C., accuses Meta (the parent of Instagram), YouTube, TikTok, and Snap of designing their platforms to be addictive through features such as infinite scroll and autoplay.

“He’s still a kid. He is still in high school and evaluating the impact that social media has had on his very young life,” Emily Jeffcott, an attorney for R.K.C., said in a phone interview Monday. “I think that should really be a lens that’s worth paying attention to.”

YouTube also settled with the plaintiff last week, leaving Meta and Snap to face a jury in a trial expected to begin July 27 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The case is the second to go to trial in consolidated litigation brought by thousands of plaintiffs accusing Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap of using addictive platform designs that contributed to mental health injuries.

The first bellwether trial, involving a 20-year-old identified as K.G.M., ended in March with a $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube. The jury found the companies negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms. Both companies have said they plan to appeal.

During her trial, K.G.M. and her attorneys argued that her heavy reliance on social media, which frequently involved the use of Instagram’s beauty filters, negatively affected her self-worth as a teen and led to body dysmorphia. Her addiction to the platforms also worsened her depression and anxiety, she told jurors this year.

R.K.C.’s lawyers said his trial next month will offer a distinct perspective, and therefore a unique case, from K.G.M.’s.

“The impacts on a male and on somebody who’s a minor currently involve different circumstances and things for the jury to evaluate,” said Rahul Ravipudi, another attorney for the plaintiff.