Google’s YouTube has settled a lawsuit brought by a teenager over claims that the platform’s addictive design led to mental health harms, ahead of a second landmark trial in California scheduled for next month.
The 15-year-old, referred to as RKC in court documents, also sued Meta’s Instagram, Snap’s Snapchat and ByteDance’s TikTok, and the remaining three companies are still set to go to trial on 27 July.
A Google spokesperson said the case has been amicably resolved and that the company is focusing on building “age-appropriate products”.
Addictive design
The plaintiff’s attorneys, John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, said they would continue to defend those harmed by social media addiction and compel platforms to “prioritise the safety of their young users over their bottom lines”.
