Social media addiction lawsuit against Meta is dropped - TechCrunch

What the report says

TechCrunch reported that a closely watched lawsuit alleging social media addiction has been dismissed after the plaintiff voluntarily ended his claims against Meta. The move came one day after Snap confirmed it had reached a tentative settlement with the plaintiff, leaving Meta as the last remaining defendant. According to TechCrunch, Meta said the plaintiff dropped the case without receiving a payment.

The case had been scheduled for a bellwether jury trial next week in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The plaintiff, identified by the initials “R.K.C.” and described as a Florida teenager, had accused Meta, Snap, TikTok and Google’s YouTube of designing platforms that foster addictive use. TikTok and YouTube had previously reached settlement agreements, TechCrunch reported.

The dropped trial matters because it would have been an early test case among thousands of related lawsuits filed by teenagers, schools and state attorneys general against major technology companies. Those cases broadly challenge whether features such as endless feeds and frequent notifications were knowingly built to keep young users engaged, and any trial outcome could have influenced future product design or legal strategy.

TechCrunch also noted the dismissal follows other courtroom setbacks for Meta, including a New Mexico case earlier this year that resulted in $375 million in penalties, and a Los Angeles jury verdict in March awarding about $6 million against Meta and Google. Meta had planned to argue in the dismissed case that the plaintiff’s Facebook and Instagram use was limited, and said in its statement that it would continue defending itself against lawsuits it views as baseless.