Three months after a landmark ruling in a similar case, a 15-year-old American has settled an unprecedented lawsuit for damages against the Google-owned social media platform YouTube and other platforms for allegedly harming his mental health.
Despite the move to improve their offerings for children, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda acknowledged the deal, stating the company had “built YouTube responsibly” for over a decade and its “focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls.”
The agreement does not provide for any admissions of liability.
YouTube’s “decision to resolve this case before having to face a jury speaks for itself”, plaintiff’s attorneys John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott said in a statement, accusing the social media executives of “strategising for years to hook children early” because of features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay.
Instagram owner Meta, TikTok and Snapchat are still defendants in the case, the second of its kind in the United States, that will go to trial July 27 in Los Angeles.
Plaintiff RKC, a teenager from Florida, alleges that compulsive social media usage caused him anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation and that he still suffers from the conditions and is being treated for them.
He was chosen to be one of a number of bellwether cases to settle thousands of pending cases nationwide.
A historic first that came out of a Los Angeles jury verdict in March was for a 20-year-old woman, KGM, to receive US$6 million (RM25mil) from both Meta and Google.
Snap and TikTok have already settled in a previous trial for undisclosed sums.
In New Mexico, another case was decided in favour of the consumers, holding Meta responsible for deceiving users about the dangers it creates for children.
Meta was found liable for US$375 million in damages by the jury.
Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube also reached confidential settlements with a Kentucky school district in May, avoiding a new landmark trial in Oakland.
A separate suit filed by more than 30 U.S. states alleges the same thing and is scheduled to go to trial in Oakland in August.
