On Friday, Meta Platforms settled with a teen plaintiff who accused the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive, fostering a decline in mental well-being and disordered nutritional patterns, according to attorneys for the plaintiff.
The settlement came after jury selection started on Wednesday for a trial that was scheduled to evaluate the allegations of two adolescents identified as S.J. and K.B.D., against Meta and Snap Inc.
An attorney for K.D.B stated in a statement, “We remain committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client.”
Meanwhile, social media companies face thousands of lawsuits in state courts from municipalities and other governmental entities alleging that corporate designs deliberately fostered youth dependency, worsening teenage mental health and suicide rates.
Earlier, Meta and its platforms Facebook and Instagram are facing a class-action lawsuit in Australia over claims that addictive design features are harming children and teenagers. A US judge in New Mexico also ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury ruled that the corporation deceived users regarding a massive data breach to Facebook users’ data linked to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Meta also said it would appeal the ruling contending that the judgment subverted constitutional protections and imposed excessive penalties
