Snap and YouTube Settle Addiction Lawsuit in the US

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Two tech giants, Snap and YouTube, have reportedly reached a settlement in a major lawsuit concerning social media addiction just weeks before trial.

The news was reported by Endgadget on Friday (15/5), stating that the case took place in a school district in Kentucky and is one of the cases that has been settled. There are still several cases across the US alleging that social media companies have harmed students through apps and created addiction.

Although the Kentucky case was one of several faced by both companies, it had been closely watched as it was the first to be scheduled for trial.

It is not yet known whether Meta and TikTok have reached a settlement with the plaintiffs. The trial was supposed to take place next month in Oakland, California.

In a statement to Bloomberg, which first reported the news, YouTube said that the lawsuit against its platform had been settled amicably. The company also stated that it would continue to work on age-appropriate products.

Even though one case has been resolved, both companies still face many other similar lawsuits, including in school districts in New York and Seattle.

For Snap, this is not the first time they have settled a similar case out of court. Earlier this year, they reached a settlement regarding a high-profile social media addiction case in Los Angeles.

In that case, Meta argued that social media addiction was not real. In addition to the addiction lawsuit, Meta has recently faced lawsuits related to safety and ended with a $375 million fine in New Mexico.