Google’s YouTube settled a lawsuit brought by a Florida teen who alleged that the platform’s addictive design affected his mental health, his lawyers said on Tuesday, according to Reuters and the BBC.
The terms of the trial were not disclosed.
The lawsuit also names Meta’s Instagram, Snap Inc.’s Snapchat and ByteDance’s TikTok, which are scheduled to go on trial in July.
Social media addiction causes mental health problems
A 16-year-old Florida boy, identified only by his initials RKC, said he became addicted to social media after being introduced to it when he was eight years old, according to court filings.
He specifically attributed features such as infinite scroll and autoplay to compulsive use. RKC said that due to drug addiction, he lost sleep and suffered from depression and anxiety.
His lawyers said YouTube’s decision to settle the case rather than face a jury “speaks for itself.”
Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company’s focus is “on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise,” adding that the lawsuit was resolved amicably.
Social media companies claim to implement security measures
Thousands of lawsuits in the US are accusing social media companies of designing platforms to maximize engagement at the expense of the well-being of young users.
Many countries around the world have banned teenagers from social networks, or are considering doing so.
The companies deny the allegations and say they have implemented extensive security measures.
In March, a landmark lawsuit against Meta and YouTube in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies responsible for making their platforms addictive without concern for the well-being of young users.
A 20-year-old plaintiff had alleged that his mental health had been harmed due to his childhood use of social media and growing addiction to it.
A jury found the companies negligent and ordered Meta to pay $4.2 million (€3.69 million) in damages and Google to pay $1.8 million.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
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