Meta Escapes Bellwether Addiction Trial as Florida Teen Drops Case Without Payment
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 22
Meta Escapes Bellwether Addiction Trial as Florida Teen Drops Case Without Payment
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 22
Summary
A week before jury selection in Los Angeles, Florida teen R.K.C. dropped his social media addiction case against Meta, ending the bellwether trial without any payment from the company.
The withdrawal came after TikTok, YouTube and, a day earlier, Snap reached settlements with the plaintiff, leaving Meta as the last remaining defendant only briefly.
Meta had planned to argue R.K.C. used Facebook and Instagram only minutes a day on average and created most accounts after hiring a lawyer, calling the claims baseless.
The case was one of thousands accusing major platforms of designing addictive features such as infinite scroll and constant notifications, with potential precedent for how apps are built.
The dismissal spares Meta a fresh courtroom test after a $375 million New Mexico loss earlier this year and a separate $6 million California verdict in March.