TikTok has agreed to a settlement with one of the plaintiffs in a high-profile series of lawsuits alleging social media platforms can create addiction among young users, a lawyer for the plaintiff said on Tuesday.
The plaintiff, a 19-year-old from California identified in court filings as K.G.M., contends she became addicted to social media at a young age because of the platforms' attention-grabbing designs. In her filings she attributes ensuing depression and suicidal thoughts to the apps she used and has sought to hold the companies that designed them accountable.
Joseph VanZandt, an attorney representing K.G.M., said that the plaintiff "reached an agreement in principle to settle her case" with TikTok. The announcement came as jury selection was set to begin on Tuesday in what had been scheduled to proceed as a trial.
K.G.M.'s lawsuit names four defendants: YouTube, Meta, Snap and TikTok. The case is one of three selected as test cases - commonly referred to as "bellwether" trials - identified from hundreds of related lawsuits that allege harm to young people from social media platforms.
Snap reached a settlement with K.G.M. on January 20. A Snap spokesperson and the plaintiff's attorneys declined to provide details about that agreement.
As the trial process continues, Meta's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, is expected to testify in connection with the proceedings.
The company that settled with K.G.M. did not immediately provide a response to requests for comment about the agreement.
Background and procedural notes:
- The plaintiff identifies design features of social media platforms as central to her claim of developing addictive behavior.
- The litigation involving this plaintiff is part of a broader grouping of hundreds of suits selected in part to be resolved through bellwether trials to test claims and defenses.
- Settlement activity has already occurred in at least one related defendant's case, and another defendant's CEO is expected to appear in testimony.
The announced settlement with TikTok changes the immediate trial lineup but leaves other aspects of the coordinated litigation intact as the remaining bellwether trials proceed.