Snap Inc. has reached a settlement in a lawsuit accusing the company of contributing to social media addiction, just days before the case was scheduled to go to trial, according to multiple reports.

The agreement was announced on Tuesday at the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County, bringing a pause to what was expected to be a closely watched legal battle for the social media industry.

The lawsuit was filed by a 19-year-old plaintiff identified in court records as K.G.M., who alleged that Snap deliberately designed features and algorithms that foster addictive behavior and harmed users’ mental health.

While the settlement resolves Snap’s involvement in this particular case, the specific terms of the agreement were not made public.

The broader lawsuit also names other major platforms, including Meta, YouTube, and TikTok, none of which have reached settlements.

Snap remains a defendant in several similar cases, as scrutiny continues over internal company documents suggesting that employees raised concerns about potential mental health risks to teenagers nearly a decade ago.

Snap has pushed back on those claims, arguing that such documents have been selectively presented and misinterpreted.

Plaintiffs in the ongoing litigation have compared the cases to historic lawsuits against tobacco companies in the 1990s, alleging that social media firms downplayed or obscured known risks associated with their products.

They contend that features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and algorithm-driven recommendations encourage excessive use, contributing to depression, eating disorders, and self-harm among young users.

Snap Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel had been expected to testify, and the case would have marked the first time a social media addiction lawsuit reached a jury.

Attention now shifts to the remaining defendants, as jury selection in the case against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube is set to begin on January 27, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to take the stand.

Legal analysts say a plaintiff victory could trigger multibillion-dollar settlements and force significant changes in how platforms design their products, though companies continue to argue that many of their features are protected under the First Amendment.

Source: Techcrunch