In a lawsuit filed alongside thousands of others, TikTok is accused of harming the mental health of teenagers through its addictive platform design . The trial was originally scheduled for this month, but the plaintiffs’ lawyers revealed that TikTok reached a settlement with a 15-year-old Florida teenager before the trial, although the details of the settlement are still being finalized.
NBC News reports that a 15-year-old Florida teenager, whose name is only indicated by the initials RKC in legal documents, has accused social media platforms such as Instagram’s parent company Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap of causing users to become addicted through features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay.
“He’s just a kid, still in high school, assessing how social media is impacting his very young life,” said Emily Jeffcott, the plaintiff’s lawyer, in an interview. “It’s a very important angle to consider.”
YouTube reached a settlement with the plaintiff last week, and when the trial is scheduled to begin on July 27 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Meta and Snap will be the remaining plaintiffs to face a jury.
RKC is the second case in a consolidated lawsuit filed by thousands of plaintiffs to reach the trial stage.
The first lawsuit, filed by a 20-year-old woman whose initials are KGM, concluded in March of this year with a jury finding Meta and YouTube liable for $6 million in damages. The jury determined that the social media companies’ platform design and operation were indeed negligent. Both Meta and YouTube have indicated they will appeal.
During the trial, KGM and her lawyers told the court that her excessive reliance on social media, including frequent use of beauty filters on Instagram, negatively impacted her self-esteem during her adolescence, leading to body dysmorphia. She told the jury that her social media addiction exacerbated her depression and anxiety.
Jeff Cote stated that RKC’s case is fundamentally different from the KGM case, making it a unique situation. Another attorney, Rahul Ravipudi, also said that the impact of social media on men and minors involves different backgrounds and matters requiring jury evaluation.
Jeff Cote said that RKC started using social media when he was only 8 years old and was later diagnosed with anxiety and major depression. He received counseling from a psychotherapist in 2023 due to problems such as suicidal thoughts.
