TikTok reaches settlement with teen ahead of trial over social media addiction

TikTok reached an out-of-court settlement with a teenager just weeks before the company was due to appear in court in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are liable for harm caused by their products.

The Florida teenager, 15 years old, identified only by his initials RKC, has accused four social media companies of damaging his mental health and previously reached a settlement with YouTube on June 23.

This leaves Meta and Snapchat as the only defendants in the trial, which is scheduled to begin on July 27 in Los Angeles.

"We can confirm that a settlement in principle has been reached with TikTok," law firm Morgan & Morgan, which represents the teenager, told AFP on Wednesday without specifying the terms.

TikTok also reached a settlement in a similar case—the first of its kind—in January, before the trial began.

This second trial, to be held in a Los Angeles court, is considered another landmark case regarding how thousands of lawsuits over social media addiction might unfold in the United States.

The Florida teenager claims that years of compulsive social media use contributed to his suffering from severe psychological disorders (anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts), for which he is still receiving treatment.

"These social media companies have been strategizing for years to hook children early and maximize their usage with insidious features like autoplay and infinite scroll, all with the aim of increasing profits at the expense of the mental health of our youth," the plaintiff's attorneys at Morgan & Morgan said in a statement after settling with YouTube.