Meta’s settlement with an 18-year-old plaintiff has left Snap Inc. as the only company expected to face claims in a Los Angeles trial over alleged social media harms, Reuters and Bloomberg Law reported.
The case centers on K.D.B., who is 18 and from Mississippi. Her attorney, Emily Jeffcott, announced the agreement Friday, Oct. 30, after jury selection began Oct. 28. Judge Carolyn Kuhl said the court was notified of the settlement the previous night.
K.D.B. and co-plaintiff S.J., 16, of Illinois, alleged that Instagram and Facebook design features — including videos that start automatically and feeds that keep loading as users scroll — encouraged compulsive use and contributed to mental health problems and disordered eating. Those claims have not been decided by a jury. Meta had settled S.J.’s claims days before jury selection.
Reuters reported that both plaintiffs had already settled their claims against TikTok and YouTube. Thousands of similar lawsuits are pending, and Reuters said this case was chosen for an early jury assessment that could shape how related claims are resolved.
The Associated Press reported that a jury in a separate Los Angeles case awarded $6 million against Meta and YouTube in March. That case involved a different plaintiff. Bloomberg Law reported that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not testify in this trial.
Jeffcott called the deal “a just resolution on behalf of our client,” Reuters reported. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters, “We will continue to defend ourselves in court, and we stand by our record.” The settlement’s amount and other terms were not disclosed in the reporting.
