YouTube and its parent company Google reached a confidential settlement in a social media harm lawsuit, stepping back from a trial that was set to begin July 27 in Los Angeles.
The settlement amount was not disclosed. Meta, TikTok, and Snap did not settle and will still face a jury next month.
According to The Wrap, the case centers on R.K.C., a 15-year-old Black teenager who claims that being on social media from the age of eight negatively contributed to his mental health. His attorneys pointed to platform features such as autoplay and infinite scroll as tools companies used to maximize usage in minors.
"YouTube's decision to resolve this case before having to face a jury speaks for itself," plaintiff's attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott said in a written statement. "As jurors saw in the first bellwether trial, leadership at 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 tide of the law and public opinion are shifting."
Google's response was brief. "This matter has been amicably resolved and our focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise," Google spokesman José Castañeda wrote in an email.
R.K.C.'s case is the second bellwether trial in a larger Southern California lawsuit involving nearly 2,500 plaintiffs. The first trial ended earlier this year when a 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley G.M. was awarded $6 million in damages. Meta paid 70% of that amount and Google paid the remaining 30%. Both TikTok and Snap reached confidential settlements with Kaley before her trial began.
R.K.C.'s case differs from Kaley's in two key ways. He is five years younger and still a minor. His case focuses more heavily on the addictive design of platform features, while Kaley's centered on body dysmorphia.
A separate March case in New Mexico found Meta liable for misleading consumers about the safety risks its platforms pose to children. That jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in damages.
Eight more bellwether trials are still scheduled. If those cases produce similar verdicts, they could form the basis for a larger global settlement that legal observers say could reach into the billions of dollars for the companies involved. The July 27 trial in Los Angeles will be the next test.
