Snap settles social media addiction case, ending bellwether trial

Snap Inc., the parent company of social media app Snapchat, has settled claims alleging the platform was intentionally designed to be addictive for young users, ending the bellwether trial two days before opening arguments in Los Angeles.

The settlement, announced Monday by the legal teams for plaintiffs “SJ” and “KDB,” follows similar deals reached last month with tech giant Meta, which was a codefendant in the trial up until Friday. The terms of Snap Inc.’s settlement are confidential, attorneys added, and the social media company said the parties were “pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.”

The settlements allow both Snap Inc. and Meta to avoid another high-profile trial this year, which was expected to feature Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel taking the stand in court for the first time. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri were also expected to testify.

The trial, which originally consolidated two cases, began last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court with jury selection.

KDB, a woman from Mississippi, argued her use of social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat as a child worsened her mental health and contributed to her eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, depression and self-harm.

SJ, a teenager from Illinois, said she started using Snapchat at a young age, accessing app features like “Snapstreaks” and “Snapscores” along with filters and push notifications. Her attorneys alleged these features played a role in her compulsive use of Snapchat.

Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Emily Jeffcott, representing KDB, celebrated the settlement Monday, stating they are “proud to have achieved justice for our bellweather clients so far.”

“Our ultimate goal is to hold these social media companies accountable for how their actions have impacted millions of children across the country, and these settlements allow us to keep building toward that goal,” they said in a statement shared Monday.

Joseph VanZandt, an attorney for SJ at the Beasley Allen Law Firm, said the settlement with Snap Inc. secures “real results” for SJ and her family.

“This litigation has always been about making social media safer for kids, and nothing about these resolutions slows that work,” VanZandt said. “We will be back in a courtroom in March, and we will keep going until these platforms are safe for the children who use them.”

A spokesperson for Snap Inc. said Snapchat was “built to encourage real conversations with real friends.”

“We’ve built safeguards, launched safety tutorials, and partnered with experts and because safety is never finished, we remain committed to continually strengthening the safety, privacy, and well-being of our community,” the spokesperson said.

The next group of bellweather cases are slated for trial in March 2027.

The settlement comes just days after Meta reached an agreement with KDB on Friday. SJ settled her claims the previous week.