Teen drops social media addiction lawsuit against Meta before trial

A Florida teenager identified as R.K.C. has dropped his lawsuit against Meta, alleging that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive and harmed his mental health. The case was set to go to trial next week in Los Angeles as the second 'bellwether' case in a wave of litigation against social media companies. Meta avoided a second bellwether trial without paying any settlement, after the plaintiff settled separately with YouTube, TikTok, and Snap for undisclosed amounts.

What happened

R.K.C., who started using social media at age 8, claimed the platforms' features like infinite scroll caused addiction, sleep deprivation, and suicidal thoughts. He reached settlements with YouTube, TikTok, and Snap in recent weeks, leaving Meta as the sole defendant. On Wednesday, his attorneys announced he was withdrawing his claims against Meta, citing the overall success of the litigation and concerns about a grueling trial.

The reaction

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said, 'The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.' Plaintiff's attorneys Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi framed the litigation as a win: 'He came into this process wanting to hold social media companies accountable… He did that.' They added that R.K.C. is now focusing on recovery and therapy.

Context

The first bellwether trial in March resulted in a $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube. Additionally, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading users about child safety. Thousands of similar lawsuits remain pending, including claims from state attorneys general and additional bellwether trials scheduled through 2027.