Teenagers who blamed Snapchat's design for addiction and depression reach settlements – The Cool Down

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Both said their use of the platforms began in childhood and later became compulsive.
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Jury selection was underway in Los Angeles when settlements ended the proceedings against Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., after two young women accused the company of designing the platform to encourage compulsive use.
Depression, anxiety, and eating disorders were among the mental health problems the plaintiffs attributed to the platform’s design.
Court records identify the plaintiffs as S.J. and K.D.B., and the financial terms of their settlements were not disclosed. The agreements, announced November 2, 2026, resolved claims by a 16-year-old girl from Illinois and an 18-year-old woman from Mississippi, according to Law Commentary.
TikTok and Google’s YouTube had settled first, followed by Meta’s agreements with each plaintiff, leaving Snap as the last defendant scheduled for trial.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel’s anticipated testimony about Snapchat’s design and safety measures will no longer take place because of the settlements. The proceeding had reached jury selection, which began October 28 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The plaintiffs linked their mental health problems to compulsive social media habits. Both said their use of the platforms began in childhood and later became compulsive.
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Snapstreaks, which count consecutive days of communication between users, were one focus of the complaints. The plaintiffs also cited notifications, autoplay, and infinite scrolling, alleging that the companies designed these features to draw users back repeatedly.
These cases were intended to put questions about product design and responsibility for children’s well-being before a jury. The plaintiffs’ allegations also included inadequate warnings about risks to young users.
Testing juries’ responses to allegations of intentionally addictive design was the purpose of these bellwether trials. The lawsuits were chosen from thousands of comparable cases and were being overseen by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl.
Snap described the settlements as an amicable resolution that pleased both sides. Snap has contested the claims, citing protections for younger users, including safety tools and educational resources, according to Law Commentary.
The first Los Angeles bellwether case concluded in March with a finding of negligence against Meta and YouTube. The plaintiff was a young woman who claimed the platforms had contributed to her mental health problems.
Jurors set damages at $6 million, with Meta responsible for 70% and YouTube for 30%, Law Commentary reported. Each company has contested the decision.
Additional bellwether proceedings in Los Angeles are set to start in March 2027, giving more plaintiffs an opportunity to bring allegations about social media design and harm to young users before juries.
Other tech companies are also facing scrutiny over addictive design and user safety. These stories cover TikTok litigation, California’s child safety laws, a FanDuel addiction lawsuit, and Character.ai’s bankruptcy following self-harm suits.
• North Carolina is fighting to sue ByteDance, arguing that TikTok’s design is addictive for kids.
• New York alleges TikTok gave thousands of users a placebo safety tool to reset harmful feeds.
• California enacted 13 child safety laws, targeting addictive social media features and AI.
• A Pennsylvania bettor sued FanDuel, alleging its app bombarded him with late-night alerts after losses.
• Character.ai entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy after self-harm suits, with Disney set to license its IP.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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