Meta Faces No Trial After Plaintiff Withdraws Social Media Addiction Suit
The remaining social media addiction lawsuit against Meta was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff, ending the case that was set for a jury trial in Los Angeles.
A California jury trial scheduled for next week was called off after the plaintiff, a Florida teenager identified only by the initials “R.K.C.”, voluntarily dismissed his claims against Meta. The plaintiff had previously sued several major platforms, including Snap, TikTok and Google’s YouTube, alleging they designed addictive features such as infinite scroll and constant notifications.
Meta said the dismissal was initiated by the plaintiff and that the company received no payment. In a statement, Meta added that the outcome demonstrates its willingness to defend itself against lawsuits it considers unfounded.
Snap had reached a tentative settlement with the plaintiff the day before, while TikTok and YouTube had already settled. The case had been viewed as a potential precedent that could influence how tech firms design their apps.
Meta’s legal challenges this year include a loss in New Mexico, where a jury ordered the company to pay $375 million for misleading consumers about platform safety, and a separate Los Angeles case that resulted in a $6 million judgment against Google.