TikTok parent ByteDance is the latest Big Tech firm to settle a social media addiction lawsuit out of court. according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. The move allows TikTok to avoid a potentially messy jury trial scheduled for later this month.
The terms of the deal, which is still being finalized, are confidential, according to Bloomberg.
Google was the last defendant to settle in this case the end of last month. Its YouTube was one of four allegedly addictive platforms, with the other two, Snap’s Snapchat and Meta’s Instagram, still being tested in Los Angeles in July.
The plaintiff, identified only by the initials RKC, is a 15-year-old Floridian who claims to have been addicted to the four social media platforms named since he was eight years old. The suit alleges that his mental health was damaged by his addiction, thanks to features like autoplay and endless scrolling.
Security claims are becoming a major headache for social media companies. Bloomberg estimates that there are more than 3,000 active legal complaints alleging that social media products are harmful or addictive.
This issue became especially relevant for Meta and Google in March. That same month, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading the public about the security of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Meta does to file an appeal against the court’s decisionhe says.
A found in Los Angeles that week Meta and Google said they will have to pay damages to a 20-year-old woman who claims she has addiction and mental health problems caused by social media. At the time, a Meta spokesperson said the company was considering additional legal options, and that Google would file an appeal.
Gizmodo has reached out to ByteDance for comment. We will update this article if we receive a response.
