Google YouTube has settled a social media addiction case brought by a 15-year-old in Florida who accused the platform of harming children’s mental health, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.
Terms of the settlement in the state court lawsuit filed against the social media giant were confidential, lawyers said Tuesday.
“YouTube’s decision to resolve this case before having to face a jury speaks for itself. We will continue to fight on behalf of everyone affected by social media addiction to bring these companies to justice and force them to prioritize the safety of their young users over their bottom lines,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers said in a statement, according to Reuters.
“We will continue to fight on behalf of everyone affected by social media addiction to bring these companies to justice and force them to prioritize the safety of their young users over their bottom lines.”
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Google’s YouTube has settled a social media addiction case brought by a 15-year-old in Florida. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images, File / Getty Images)
Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to FOX Business that the lawsuit was resolved amicably and that the company “remains focused on creating age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise.”
“For more than a decade, we’ve built YouTube responsibly, working with families to provide safer, more meaningful online experiences for young people,” Castañeda said.
The teen, who used the initials RKC in court documents, argued that YouTube and other social media companies designed their platforms to be addictive.
He said he started using social networks when he was around 8 years old and reportedly became addicted, losing sleep and suffering from depression and anxiety.
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The teen argued that YouTube and other social media companies designed their platforms to be addictive. (Smith/Gado/Getty Images Collection, File / Getty Images)
RKC is also suing Meta, TikTok and Snapchat in a trial set to begin next month in Los Angeles.
More than 3,300 lawsuits involving drug abuse claims against social media companies are pending in California state court, while another 2,600 cases brought by individuals, school districts, municipalities and states are pending in California federal court.
Teleprinter Security Last Change Change % GOOG ALPHABET INC. 346.08 -2.70 -0.77% META META PLATFORMS INC. 562.20 -1.65 -0.29% The first trial ended in March after a woman claimed she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age because of their eye-catching design. She had accused companies of intentionally making their platforms addictive for children.
In that case, a jury found the companies negligent, ordering Meta to pay it $4.2 million in damages and Google to pay $1.8 million. Earlier this month, the judge rejected the companies’ efforts to overturn the verdict.
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The complainant said he started using social media around the age of eight and became addicted to it. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images, File/Getty Images)
The woman had also sued TikTok and Snapchat, but the two platforms settled before trial for an undisclosed amount.
A New Mexico jury also ordered Meta earlier this year to pay $375 million for misleading users about the safety of its child-targeted platforms.
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Google, Meta, Snapchat and TikTok also settled a mid-trial case last month in which a Kentucky school district accused the platforms of creating a mental health crisis for its students.
The platforms collectively paid $27 million to settle this case.
Meta will also be face a trial in a lawsuit filed by Tennessee next month. In August, a trial in federal court over the combined claims of several states will take place against the social media giant.
Reuters contributed to this report.
