Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times,
A 15-year-old New Jersey girl whose lawsuit served as a test case in litigation accusing social media companies of designing platforms to addict young users dropped her remaining claims Thursday against Meta Platforms, Google, and Snap Inc.
The plaintiff, identified in California court records only as P. M-Y., had alleged the owners of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat contributed to her social media addiction, depression, and self-harm.
She dismissed the case without any payment from the three companies, according to a court filing and statements from the defendants. TikTok, also named in the suit, had settled earlier.
Emily Jeffcott, an attorney for P. M-Y., said her client chose to end the remaining claims so she could try to resume her life.
She “initiated this process with the goal of holding social media companies accountable and to push for changes to protect young people like herself,” Jeffcott said.
More than 3,300 personal injury cases filed by individuals have been consolidated in California state court in Los Angeles. P. M-Y.’s lawsuit was selected as one of three “bellwether” or test cases set to go to trial in October. Attorneys use such trials to determine how juries may react to similar claims and to help set values for settlement talks.
Two other teen plaintiffs with similar allegations against the same companies remain scheduled for October trials. TikTok has already settled those cases, as well.
Meta said in a statement that the plaintiff had a significant mental health condition that pre-dated her use of social media and that many of these cases fit the same pattern. The company added it would vigorously defend against the remaining suits.
Google-owned YouTube said the decision to drop the case affirms “our longstanding position that we provide safe, age-appropriate experiences and strong parental controls for young people and families.”
A Snap spokesperson said the company remains focused on strengthening safeguards, tools and educational resources to support users’ safety, privacy, and well-being.
The broader litigation includes claims by individuals, states, and school districts that features such as infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, and autoplay promote compulsive use and contribute to youth mental health problems. The companies have denied the allegations and say they take extensive steps to keep teens safe.
A previous case concluded in July when a Florida teen dropped his claims against Meta after the other defendants settled.
In March, a Los Angeles jury awarded $4.2 million against Meta and $1.8 million against Google in a case brought by a woman who said she became addicted to the platforms at a young age, with TikTok and Snap settling that case before trial.
Related litigation continues on other fronts, with 29 states pursuing a federal trial in Oakland, California, that began this week. They accuse Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression, and even suicide, and of misleading the public about safety. Meta has rejected those claims, arguing that “social media addiction” is not an established psychiatric condition and that it complied with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for $6 million in damages in the first individual social media addiction trial to reach a verdict. Jurors decided the companies’ platforms contributed to the plaintiff’s psychological harms. Snap and TikTok had settled before that trial began.
A New Mexico judge earlier this month ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a child mental health fund after finding the company’s platforms contributed to the state’s youth mental health crisis. Meta faces additional pressure from state attorneys general and school districts in multiple jurisdictions.