Snap settles teen addiction case

Snap Inc. has reached a settlement with two teenage plaintiffs in a lawsuit accusing the company of designing addictive features for young users. Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl announced the agreement on Monday in Los Angeles. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed immediately. The resolution ends the legal dispute ahead of a scheduled trial that would have been the first for Snap involving claims of social media harm to teenagers.

The plaintiffs, S.J. (16) from Illinois and K.D.B. (18) from Mississippi, claimed they developed compulsive habits from childhood exposure to social media. They pointed to features like autoplay and infinite scrolling as drivers of their behavior. Specific allegations against Snap included its use of Snapstreaks, notifications, and other engagement tools. The teenagers alleged these mechanisms contributed to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Both parties had previously settled with co-defendants Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Google’s YouTube.

Meta reached its own settlement with the same plaintiffs just days before the Snap announcement. This case served as a bellwether trial within a larger group of thousands of lawsuits filed by individuals, families, and government entities. These broader legal actions allege that major technology companies knowingly created products that encouraged excessive use among children. The outcome of this specific trial was expected to influence how other similar cases proceed through the courts.

Snap disputed the accusations during the litigation. The company cited safety protections, educational resources, and partnerships with experts as evidence of its efforts to improve user privacy and well-being. CEO Evan Spiegel was expected to testify if the case had gone to trial. The company maintained that it worked to balance engagement with user health throughout the development of its platform features.

The settlement follows a March verdict in a separate trial where a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a young woman’s case. That jury awarded her $6 million in damages. Attorneys for the current plaintiffs stated that the latest agreements allow their efforts to hold social media companies accountable to continue. The resolution removes Snap as the final defendant in this specific litigation track.