Meta avoids social media addiction trial as plaintiff withdraws claims
The 15-year-old plaintiff, R.K.C., withdrew his lawsuit against Meta less than a week before trial, citing a desire to avoid prolonged litigation and focus on recovery.
Meta will not face a planned social media addiction trial in Los Angeles after the plaintiff, a 15-year-old Florida teenager identified as R.K.C., withdrew his claims against the company. The withdrawal comes less than a week before Meta’s legal team was scheduled to return to court, following undisclosed settlements reached between R.K.C. and rival platforms Snap, TikTok, and YouTube.
Meta stated it would not pay a settlement in this matter and defended its position against what it termed baseless lawsuits. The company had planned to argue that the plaintiff used Facebook and Instagram for only minutes per day on average and that most of his accounts were created after he hired legal representation.
R.K.C.’s lawyers, Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi, stated the decision was made in light of the "overall successful result of the litigation" and the plaintiff’s desire to avoid a "grueling weekslong trial." The plaintiff expressed readiness to "close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life."
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone issued a statement claiming the outcome demonstrates that Meta will not back away from defending itself against baseless lawsuits. The case was one of several bellwether trials testing allegations that social media companies created features that harmed teenagers, part of a broader wave of thousands of similar claims filed by teens, schools, and state entities.
While Meta avoided this specific trial, it has faced significant legal setbacks elsewhere. Earlier this year, the company was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties in New Mexico for misleading consumers about platform safety. Additionally, in March, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million in damages in a separate case involving Meta and Google.
Seven more bellwether cases remain on deck in the California state courthouse in Los Angeles, with a separate set of cases pending in federal court in Oakland. Meta is also set to face claims brought by state attorneys general in federal court next month, alleging that it illegally misled the public about harmful and allegedly addictive features.
