Snap settles US social media trial days after Meta

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has announced it has reached a settlement in a landmark social media trial, just days after Meta announced its own settlement. This comes two days before the Los Angeles courtroom was set to begin opening statements in what would have been another significant trial.

The case was anticipated to be a bellwether trial, the outcome of which would guide the resolution of hundreds of similar lawsuits across the United States. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, identified only by their initials K.D.B. and S.J., expressed their pride in achieving justice for these "bellwether" clients. They stated that the ultimate goal is to hold social media companies accountable for their impact on millions of children in the country.

Snap expressed their satisfaction with resolving the matter amicably. Meta confirmed a settlement with KDB on Friday, following a previous settlement with SJ, leaving Snap as the sole defendant in the consolidated trial. TikTok and YouTube were also named defendants, but both had previously settled their cases.

The plaintiffs' lawyers argued that their clients were exposed to addictive and problematic social media apps starting at ages 13 and 15. It is expected that the plaintiffs' legal team will argue on Snap's behalf that the young users were harmed by the social media platforms. This settlement and previous ones involving Meta, YouTube, and TikTok have altered the trajectory of numerous other lawsuits filed by individuals and entities alleging harm from social media companies.