A landmark social media addiction trial is looming, and big tech players like Meta and ByteDance are set for the chopping block. But one social media company just narrowly avoided court.
Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has settled a legal dispute just before a landmark trial in Los Angeles surrounding social media addiction.
The trial, scheduled for the coming days, will include major social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to stand trial, and as of recently, Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel was set to testify.
That’s until Snap settled the social media addiction lawsuit out of court, with the terms of the deal strategically sealed.
While the terms of the agreement weren’t announced publicly, Snap told the BBC that both parties were “pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.”
The plaintiff, a 19-year-old woman who is only known by her initials (K.G.M.), claims that the design of said social media platforms left her addicted and jeopardized her mental health.
Similar to tactics used against big tobacco, teenagers, schools, and state attorneys general have filed lawsuits that accuse companies like Meta, ByteDance, and Snap of personal injury and other harms, according to The New York Times.
These lawsuits allege that social media companies have intentionally designed their platforms, apps, and websites to be addictive, citing infinite scrolling capabilities and other dynamic features.
However, certain studies have shown that very few social media users actually meet the criteria for addiction.
One study published in Scientific Reports revealed that while nearly 20% of participants said they somewhat agreed they were addicted, and 5% strongly agreed, only 2% showed symptoms consistent with potential addiction.
Yet the discourse that social media is addictive and harmful continues to proliferate, with entire continents banning the use of social media for under-16s and other countries seriously considering following suit.
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