There have been two major social media addiction lawsuit settlements in the past month by two of the big-name defendants in the social media addiction litigation. The bellwether social media addiction lawsuit involving the minor identified as “KGM” and the four defendants–Snap, Meta, YouTube, & TikTok–began trial on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. However, it began without Snap or TikTok.
Last week, Snapchat’s parent Snap settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. On Tuesday, it was announced that TikTok has joined Snap as a settling defendant, also settling for a confidential amount. These settlements increase the chances that Mark Zuckerberg will be hauled into court to answer questions about the company’s knowledge of the danger of addiction, predators, mental injury, and other harms allegedly caused by social media that is widely marketed to and used by teens and adults.
KGM’s Allegations vs Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat
KGM is identified as a now 19-year-old girl who became addicted to social media as early as the age of 10. The lawsuit alleges that the platforms were marketed to kids without warning kids or parents of their addictive nature, the tendency of some to promote material that harms one’s self-image, and/or that the manufacturers were aware that they may expose children to contact by predators. It is one of thousands of lawsuits of this nature that have been filed, and more filings are anticipated.
Settlement as A Trial Tactic?
Speculation has arisen that this settlement agreement may be a trial tactic affecting the bigger picture—the thousands of other claims and potential claims out there for social media harm. Bellwether cases chosen by the plaintiff’s side are often stronger. Thus, defendants sometimes settle them so that they can try the less strong cases first and try to gain a victory. This can bolster their public perception and trust. Additionally, settling by Snap and TikTok means that their higher-ups will not testify this week. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel was set to testify until the case was settled. This means that they get to see how other companies fare against the claims and get an idea of the plaintiff lawyers’ trial strategy before their cases come to trial.
Will Meta Settle The Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Too?
In light of these major social media addiction lawsuit settlements, one must wonder whether Meta will also settle or roll the dice with a jury. When there are multiple defendants in a case, and some settle, there are typically tools that allow the non-settling defendant to obtain a credit for the settlements of the other companies. This extra cushion in the event of a loss is another factor defendants often weigh when deciding whether to settle or try the entire case and let a jury decide.
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