TikTok, Snapchat & YouTube Agree to Settle Social Media Lawsuit Weeks Before Trial

A group of social media giants has agreed to settle the first in a series of upcoming trials over claims that their apps are intentionally designed to addict children. The makers of TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube agreed to the settlement last week with the Breathitt County school district in Kentucky. The district claimed that social media apps’ conduct has fueled a “mental health crisis” in America’s children and is seeking money from the platforms to cover the costs schools have incurred fighting these issues. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, was also named in the lawsuit but is not part of the settlement. The trial is set for June and will still go forward with claims against Meta. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. That trial will be closely watched, as it is among thousands of social media lawsuits filed in federal court by individuals and other school districts over similar claims. This case has been selected as a bellwether, meaning it is considered representative of the wider group of lawsuits and is the first test for both sides in how their claims will play out before a jury. This is not the first time TikTok and Snapchat
Read More