Meta settles, leaving Snap sole defendant in new social media trial

Meta has settled a landmark case over alleged harms of social media, leaving Snap as the sole defendant in a trial set to begin in Los Angeles. The plaintiffs' lawyers expressed their commitment to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable. Jury selection commenced on Wednesday, with opening statements scheduled for November 4.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential, but Meta settled for business reasons. Trials, dismissals, and settlements are typical in the bellwether process involving these lawsuits. If Snap does not settle, the trial will proceed this week. TikTok and YouTube were previously named as defendants but had already reached settlements with the plaintiffs.

Meta had also settled with one of the plaintiffs. Both plaintiffs, SJ and KDB, alleged that their clients were exposed to addictive and problematic social media apps when they started using them at ages 13 and 15. Snap maintains that their platform was designed to benefit their community. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in recent years, with trials going through various stages.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri were expected to testify if the trial continued without another settlement. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is expected to testify as well. Meta previously settled a trial in California, agreeing to pay over $18bn in penalties and making changes to Instagram and Facebook for teens.

The company has faced other trials, including a recent one in New Mexico where it was found liable for deceiving users about data usage and for harms to children, resulting in a combined penalty of $942mn.