Meta settles with next plaintiff in social media case, days before trial

The next bellwether trial in the social media mass tort is set to begin on Wednesday, now with only one remaining defendant: Snap.LOS ANGELES (CN) — Meta agreed Friday to settle claims made by an anonymous 18-year-old woman from Mississippi, who was suing social media giant over the dangers of their addictive products.The plaintiff, known in court as K.D.B., has now reached confidential settlements with Google, which owns YouTube, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. She is still suing Snap. Her case is being heard along with that of another plaintiff, S.J., a girl from Illinois. Jury selection is currently ongoing, with opening arguments expected to begin next week.“We remain committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client," said K.D.B.’s attorney, Emily Jeffcott, in a written statement.A Meta spokesperson said in an email: “Trials, dismissals and settlements are all common in the bellwether process, and this litigation is no exception. We will continue to defend ourselves in court, and we stand by our record.”K.D.B. is one of more than 2,000 plaintiffs suing the big four social media companies for making products that harm the mental health of underage users, causing them to develop addictions to their platforms that fueled anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. The cases are proceeding as one joint action in Los Angeles with bellwether trials, the results of which may be used to hammer out a global settlement.Up until recently, social media companies had enjoyed protection from many lawsuits by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from liability based on content generated by third parties. But plaintiffs in the consolidated youth social media cases successfully argued the tech companies were still liable for their design features, such as ’likes,’ autoplay and infinite scroll, which they said encouraged teens to compulsively use the apps. They also took aim at “beauty filters” on Instagram and Snapchat, which plaintiffs say can cause or worsen body dysmorphia.During the first bellwether trial, held early this year, a jury awarded the plaintiff Kaley G.M. $6 million for her claims against Meta and Google. The tech companies have appealed the verdict. Snap and TikTok had already reached settlements with Kaley.The next bellwether plaintiff, known in court as R.K.C., reached confidential settlements with Google, TikTok and Snap, and then dropped its claims against Meta, days before trial. At that time, a Meta spokesperson issued a fairly defiant statement, saying, “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.”A source close to Meta described the K.D.B. settlement as more of a business decision, rather than indicative of a shift in legal strategy.K.D.B.’s parents sued on behalf of their daughter in 2023, when she was 15. In their complaint, they claimed she had developed “social media compulsion,” leading to “self-harm, body dysmorphia, eating disorder(s), anxiety and depression, among other harmful effects, which may cause or contribute to additional disease.”Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was set testify in K.D.B.’s trial, as he did in Kaley’s trial. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is still expected to take the stand sometime next month.In August, Meta reached a settlement with 47 states and the District of Columbia, agreeing to pay up to $17 billion in penalties and make major changes to its platforms: It will now place limits on how long teenagers can spend on its apps, block access at night, silence notifications during school hours and ban certain features that exacerbate mental health issues.“We hope the rest of our industry joins us in setting this new standard,” said the Meta spokesperson.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads