US teen drops lawsuit against Meta, Google and Snap ahead of trial
A teen girl whose lawsuit was a test case in litigation accusing social media companies of deliberately addicting young people and fueling a mental health crisis dropped her claims against the owners of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat on Thursday, according to a court filing.
The 15-year-old New Jersey girl, identified in California court records as P. M-Y., alleged Meta Platforms, Google and Snap contributed to her social media addiction, depression and self-harm. The companies said she dropped her claims without payment. TikTok, also a defendant, had previously settled her claims.
Her attorney, Emily Jeffcott, said P. M-Y. dismissed the remaining claims to resume her life after initially seeking accountability and changes to protect young people.
Meta is defending itself in two trials over claims that it designed its platforms to addict children and misled the public about their safety. One, involving 29 states, began this week in federal court in Oakland, California. Another, brought by Tennessee, is ongoing in Nashville state court.
The litigation includes thousands of claims by individuals, states and school districts. P. M-Y.’s case was among more than 3,300 personal injury cases consolidated in Los Angeles and was one of three bellwether cases scheduled for trial in October.
Meta said P. M-Y. had a significant mental health condition predating her social media use and vowed to defend the remaining cases. YouTube said the dismissal affirmed its position that it provides safe, age-appropriate experiences and parental controls. Snap said it remains focused on safety, privacy and well-being safeguards.
Two other teen cases against the same companies are scheduled for October. Another bellwether case ended in July when a teenage plaintiff dropped his claims against Meta after other defendants settled.
The first individual trial ended in March with $4.2 million in verdicts against Meta and $1.8 million against Google. TikTok and Snap settled before trial.
