Snap settles lawsuits over alleged addictive Snapchat design — The Hill
In the United States, Snap, which owns Snapchat, reached a settlement in lawsuits brought by two plaintiffs who alleged that the platform was intentionally designed to be addictive for young users. The agreement ended a bellwether trial in Los Angeles two days before opening statements, The Hill reports.
Terms of the agreement are confidential
The plaintiffs’ legal teams, whose clients are identified in court documents by the initials S.J. and K.D.B., announced the settlement on Monday. The terms of the agreement with Snap have not been disclosed. The company said the parties were pleased to have the opportunity to resolve the case amicably.
The trial, which combined two lawsuits, began last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court with jury selection. Meta was initially a co-defendant in the case, but the company also reached separate agreements with the plaintiffs: K.D.B. settled her claims with Meta on Friday, while S.J. did so the previous week.
As a result of these agreements, Snap and Meta avoided another high-profile trial this year. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri had been expected to testify in court.
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Plaintiffs’ claims
K.D.B., a Mississippi resident, alleged that using Instagram and Snapchat during childhood worsened her mental health and contributed to an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, depression and self-harm. S.J., a teenager from Illinois, said she began using Snapchat at an early age.
S.J.’s lawyers argued that Snapstreaks and Snapscore features, filters and push notifications contributed to her compulsive use of the app. A Snap spokesperson said Snapchat was designed for communicating with real friends and that the company had introduced protective mechanisms, safety educational materials and cooperation with experts.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers described the agreements as a step toward holding social media companies accountable for their impact on children. The next group of bellwether cases is scheduled to be heard in court in March 2027.
