TikTok has agreed in principle to settle a lawsuit brought by a Florida minor who said the platform harmed his mental health, according to a spokesperson for the plaintiffs' law firm. The statement from Morgan & Morgan confirmed the parties have reached a settlement framework, but added that the specific terms remain to be finalized.
The suit was filed by a 15-year-old identified in court filings as R.K.C. He named four social media companies as defendants: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. The filings allege that R.K.C. began using social media at approximately age eight and developed an addiction that produced sleep loss, depression and anxiety.
According to the law firm spokesperson, TikTok's settlement was reached on principle as of Tuesday; no dollar amounts, injunctive terms or other specifics were disclosed. The settlement discussion, as described, is not yet complete and remains subject to final agreement by the parties involved.
Among the other defendants, YouTube previously settled its portion of the case in June. Instagram and Snapchat are still scheduled for trial in July in a California state court. The pending trials and prior settlement mean this matter will proceed in stages, with the California courtroom set to examine related claims in the coming weeks.
The agreement with TikTok comes ahead of what has been described as the second trial in California state court to evaluate the relationship between social media use and youth mental health outcomes. The current filings attribute sleep disruption, depression and anxiety to the plaintiff's prolonged social media use beginning in early childhood.
Context and next steps
- Settlement terms for TikTok remain unfinished and have not been made public.
- YouTube settled earlier in June; Instagram and Snapchat remain slated for trial in July in California state court.
- The case centers on allegations that early and sustained social media use caused addiction and related mental health harms for the named minor plaintiff.
Because the settlement with TikTok is currently only agreed to in principle, the matter could still evolve as the parties finalize an agreement. The California state court trials for the remaining defendants will proceed on their existing schedule unless modified by the court or by additional settlements.