The tech giant faces thousands of similar suits across the globe.
Google has settled a lawsuit brought forward by a claimant who alleged that the social media platform damaged his mental health.
The plaintiff, known as RKC is a 16 year old boy from Florida, who became addicted to social media as a child – which he says caused him to lose sleep and suffer from anxiety and depression.
The terms of the settlement were not released, but four defendants were named; YouTube, Instagram, (Meta), Snapchat, and TikTok (ByteDance). The remaining defendants are set to face trial in July.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters that the lawsuit was amicably resolved: “Our focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise.”
This is the latest in a number of child safety lawsuits, which have come after a California jury found YouTube and Meta platforms to be designed to be addictive in a test case. Since this first case, social media use among children has come under significant scrutiny, with countries like Australia, Greece, and the UK imposing bans on children using the platforms before a certain age.
Over 3,300 legal cases involving social media and addiction claims have been filed in California state court. A further 2,600 cases were brought forward by individuals, municipalities, and school districts now pending in California federal court.
So far, Meta has been ordered to pay $4.2mn in damages, and Google has had to pay $1.8mn after being found negligent by designing addictive features on their platforms which have harmed children.
In a case brought forward by a Kentucky school district, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube all settled out of court, paying out a combined $27mn.
In the latest suit, attorneys for the plaintiff said that YouTube’s decision to settle before having to face a jury “speaks for itself.”
“We will continue fighting on behalf of all those affected by social media addiction to bring these companies to justice and compel them to prioritize the safety of their young users over their bottom lines.”
