A 15-year-old from New Jersey has dropped her case against Meta, Google, and Snap seven weeks before it was due to be heard in Los Angeles. Her lawyer said she wanted to get on with her life.
The case was one of three bellwethers set for trial in October in California state court, chosen to test claims that the companies designed their products to be addictive to minors. TikTok had already settled its part before the dismissal, which is how TikTok has handled every one of these so far.
All three remaining defendants confirmed that the plaintiff, identified in filings as P.M-Y., received no payment in connection with dropping her claims.
Her attorney said she had brought the case to hold the companies to account and then chose to dismiss the remainder of it out of a desire to resume her life. That is the entire stated reason, and none of the parties has offered another.
The defendants read it differently, as defendants do. Meta said the plaintiff had a significant mental health condition that predated her use of social media; YouTube said the outcome affirms its longstanding position that it provides safe and age-appropriate experiences, and Snap pointed to its work on safeguards, tools, and educational resources.
