TikTok has reached an agreement to resolve litigation brought by a 19-year-old California resident identified in court documents only as K.G.M., the plaintiff's attorney Joseph VanZandt said. The settlement was reported as jury selection commenced on Tuesday in a case that had been chosen as a bellwether from a large group of related suits.
The complaint filed by K.G.M. alleged that she developed an addiction to social media platforms at a young age because those platforms were designed to capture and hold attention. According to the court filings, the plaintiff said that the alleged addiction contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts and that the companies behind the platforms should be held accountable for those harms.
When originally filed, the lawsuit named four defendants: YouTube, Meta, Snap and TikTok. Snap settled its portion of the case earlier this year, reaching an agreement with the plaintiff on January 20. The recent settlement with TikTok follows that development, but the parties have not provided the terms of either settlement.
The action involving K.G.M. was selected as one of what organizers described as three bellwether trials - cases chosen from hundreds of similar suits to help streamline pretrial proceedings and provide a preview of how juries might respond to shared issues. With the settlement now announced, the trial that had been expected to proceed as a bellwether will not go forward as originally planned.
Clear summary
A 19-year-old plaintiff identified as K.G.M. alleged addiction to social media caused serious mental-health effects and sued multiple platform companies. TikTok settled with the plaintiff as jury selection began in a bellwether trial; Snap had earlier reached a separate settlement. Terms of the settlements have not been disclosed.
Key points
- The plaintiff, identified as K.G.M., alleged addiction to social media beginning at a young age and linked that addiction to depression and suicidal thoughts.
- Four platforms were named as defendants: YouTube, Meta, Snap and TikTok; Snap settled on January 20, and TikTok has now reached a settlement.
- The case was intended as one of three bellwether trials selected from hundreds of related lawsuits; the settlement alters the planned bellwether schedule.
Risks and uncertainties
- Terms of the TikTok and Snap settlements remain undisclosed, leaving unresolved questions about potential precedent or compensation amounts - this creates uncertainty for plaintiffs and defendants alike in the broader litigation pool.
- With a bellwether trial resolved by settlement, parties and courts lose a potential jury determination that could have clarified legal and factual questions common to the related lawsuits.
- The landscape for the remaining defendants named in the lawsuits - including YouTube and Meta - remains uncertain given continuing litigation drawn from the same pool of claims.
The parties have not provided further public detail about the settlements. Beyond the disclosures noted above, court records available in the filings identified the plaintiff and the named defendants and reflected the scheduling choice to treat the matter as a bellwether representative of a larger set of cases.