Snapchat settles to avoid social media addiction trial

The Snapchat app appears on a mobile device in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. AP Photo / Richard Drew

SAN FRANCISCO, United States -- Snapchat on Wednesday confirmed it made a deal to avoid a U.S. civil trial accusing it, along with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, of addicting young people to social media.

A jury trial is set to begin in Los Angeles next week in what is being called a “bellwether” proceeding because its outcome could set the tone for a tidal wave of similar litigation across the United States.

Many of those cases are being co-ordinated by the Social Media Victims Law Center, a legal organization dedicated to holding social media companies accountable for harms caused to young people online.

“The parties are pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner,” parent company Snap and the Social Media Victims Law Center said, disclosing no details regarding the settlement in the case playing out in Los Angeles.

Internet titans have argued that they are shielded by U.S. law that frees them of responsibility for what social media users post, but these cases argue they are culpable due to business models designed to hold people’s attention and promote content that winds up harming their mental health.

Social media firms are accused in suits of addicting young users to content that has led to depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, and even suicide.

Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel was slated to testify at the trial along with other social media firm executives, including Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg.

“Unfortunately, there are many potential dangers in using online social media, and the owners of these platforms bear responsibility for its proper use,” a law centre spokesperson contended in a posted video.

The suit heading for jury trial in Los Angeles accuses social media algorithms of addicting a 19-year-old woman, causing severe mental health problems.

The trial before Judge Carolyn Kuhl in state court is expected to start the first week of February, after a jury is selected.

Lawsuits accusing social media platforms of practices endangering young users are also making their way through federal court in Northern California and state courts across the country.

AFP