TikTok settles social media addiction lawsuit ahead of trial against Meta, YouTube

WASHINGTON- TikTok agreed to settle a landmark lawsuit on social media addiction on Tuesday, according to one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, the same day the trial was due to start against two remaining companies.

Terms of ‌the settlement were not disclosed.  

TikTok is one of four companies, including ‌Meta, Snap and YouTube, which ‌is a unit of Alphabet-owned Google, facing allegations that their platforms are fueling a youth mental health crisis. 

The trial against Meta and YouTube was scheduled ​to begin with jury selection on ‌Tuesday in California Superior ⁠Court in Los Angeles.

The case involves a 19-year-old from California, identified as K.G.M., ‌who said she became addicted to the companies’ platforms at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design, according ‌to court filings.

She blames her depression and suicidal thoughts on the apps she used and is seeking to hold the companies that designed ‌them responsible.

K.G.M. “reached an ​agreement ‌in principle to settle her case” with TikTok, said Joseph VanZandt, a lawyer for K.G.M. 

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request ‌for more details about the settlement.

Snap settled with K.G.M. on January 20. A Snap spokesperson and plaintiff’s attorneys ​declined to provide details about that agreement.

K.G.M.’s case is one of three scheduled test cases, known as bellwether trials, chosen from hundreds of related lawsuits accusing ⁠the platforms of harming youth. The outcome ​of her lawsuit could help determine how the ⁠other cases are handled. 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as part of the trial.