TikTok reached a settlement on Tuesday with a Florida teen who sued the company over alleged harm to his mental health, the teen’s attorney said.
The 15-year-old boy, identified in court filings by his initials R.K.C., accused Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap of designing their platforms to be addictive through features such as infinite scroll and autoplay.
The terms of the settlement are still being finalized, representatives for the plaintiff’s lawyers said on Tuesday.
YouTube also settled with the plaintiff last week, leaving Meta and Snap to face a jury in a trial expected to begin July 27 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
R.K.C.’s case is the second to go to trial in consolidated litigation brought by thousands of plaintiffs accusing the companies of using addictive platform designs that contributed to mental health injuries.
The first bellwether trial, involving a 20-year-old identified as K.G.M., ended in March with a $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube, and the jury found the companies negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms.
During that trial, K.G.M. and her attorneys argued that her heavy reliance on social media — which frequently involved use of Instagram’s beauty filters — negatively affected her self-worth and led to body dysmorphia, and that her addiction worsened her depression and anxiety.
"The impacts on a male and on somebody who’s a minor currently involve different circumstances and things for the jury to evaluate," said Rahul Ravipudi, another attorney for the plaintiff.
Emily Jeffcott, an attorney for R.K.C., said, "He’s still a kid. He is still in high school and evaluating the impact that social media has had on his very young life." Jeffcott said R.K.C. has been using social media since he was 8 years old and has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder tied to his social media use; in 2023 he began seeing therapists for those issues, including his suicidal ideations.
Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri defended Meta before a jury in K.G.M.'s trial, while Spiegel was removed from the witness list after Snap settled; Snap has not settled in R.K.C.'s trial, meaning CEO Evan Spiegel could testify in court for the first time later this summer, and Judge Carolyn Kuhl will oversee R.K.C.'s trial.