Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has reached a settlement in a social media addiction lawsuit brought by two teenagers, ending claims shortly before the case was due to go to trial.
The plaintiffs, identified in court documents as S.J. and K.D.B., alleged that Snapchat had been designed to be addictive and that using the platform from a young age had contributed to their mental health problems.
Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said: “We are glad to reach resolution for our clients. We believe this jury would have found the companies’ conduct reprehensible.”
Snap was the final social media company named in the case to settle. Meta resolved claims the previous week, while Alphabet and TikTok also reached agreements over the allegations.
The financial terms of the Snap settlement have not been disclosed, according to John Morgan, founder of Morgan & Morgan, and Emily Jeffcott, trial counsel for K.D.B.
In a statement, Snap said: “The parties are pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.”
The case was among a series of bellwether lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who claim social media platforms damaged their mental health and were designed to keep young users engaged.
Earlier this year, a jury found Meta and Google-owned YouTube liable in another case and awarded $6 million to the lead plaintiff.
Meta has also agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and introduce child-safety measures on its platforms under an August settlement with dozens of US states. Those states accused the company of deliberately designing its services to be addictive and misleading users and the public about the risks of the technology.
