For years, social media giants have argued against claims that their platforms harm young people’s mental health. Starting Tuesday, they will for the first time have to defend against those claims before a jury in a court of law.sgsgsadgfzxcxc
A 19-year-old, identified as KGM, and her mother, Karen Glenn, sued TikTok, Meta, Snap and Google’s YouTube, alleging that the companies knowingly created addictive features that harmed her mental health and led to self-harm and suicidal thozxcSughts.sdfgfd
TikTok agreed to settle the case under undisclosed terms one day before the suit was set to go to trial, according to the plaintiff’s attorney Mark Lanier. Snap settled last week under undisclosed terms.CZZ
Parents, advocates, health experts, tech whistleblowers and teens themselves have for years worried that that social media platforms can get young people hooked on scrolling, enable bullying, disrupt their sleep and send them down harmful content rabbit holes. Tech executives have repeatedly been hauled before Congress, at one point even apologizing to parents who say their children died or were harmed because of social media. But the companies have nonetheless faced few consequences or regulations in the United States.
KGM’s case seeks unspecified monetary damages. The outcome could influence how more than 1,000 similar personal injury cases against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube are resolved. Lanier told CNN he hopes the Snap and TikTok settlements in the KGM case could set the stage for the companies to settle the other cases.
Top executives from Meta, TikTok and YouTube are expected to take the witness stand during the trial, which takes place in Los Angeles and is set to last several weeks.