Snap settles teen addiction suit before trial begins

Snap Inc. settled a class action lawsuit on Monday, ending a legal battle before it reached the jury. The agreement resolves claims that the parent company of Snapchat designed the app to be addictive. Two teenage plaintiffs, identified in court records as S.J. and K.D.B., argued that early exposure to the platform worsened their mental health. They filed suit after years of using the service during their formative years. The case was scheduled for opening arguments this week.

Mark Lanier, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and founder of The Lanier Law Firm, released a statement regarding the resolution. "We are glad to reach resolution for our clients," Lanier said. He added, "We believe this jury would have found the companies' conduct reprehensible." Lawyers for the other defendants, including Alphabet and TikTok, also confirmed they settled their portions of the case. Snap was the final major social media company to agree to terms.

John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan and attorney Emily Jeffcott, who represented K.D.B., stated that the financial terms of the Snap settlement remain private. No public document has released the specific dollar amount paid. In a separate statement to CBS News, Snap said the parties are pleased to have resolved the matter in an amicable manner. The company did not detail how the funds will be distributed among the class members.

This suit joined a group of bellwether cases challenging social media platforms. Plaintiffs in these trials have alleged that apps are engineered to keep young users hooked. Last year, a jury found Meta and Google-owned YouTube liable in a similar case. That jury awarded $6 million to the lead plaintiff in that matter. The outcome established a precedent for damages in addiction claims.

Meta has also settled with dozens of U.S. states in August. Under that agreement, the company will pay up to $1 billion. It also agreed to add child-safety measures to its platforms. The states accused Meta of deliberately designing its apps to be addictive. They also claimed the company misled the public about the risks of the technology. These settlements follow a trend of large payments to resolve user harm claims.

Snap's settlement closes the chapter on this specific lawsuit. The resolution happened just days before the trial was set to begin. The company avoided the risk of a jury verdict that could have set a higher compensation benchmark. The legal team for the plaintiffs described the outcome as a win for their clients. The case files will now be closed, concluding years of litigation over the app's design.