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Snap settles teen lawsuit over depression and eating-disorder claims
TechCrunch reported Monday that Snap settled a lawsuit by two teenagers who said Snapchat's design contributed to depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
- New headline Was: “Snap settles lawsuit accusing platform of fueling teen depression and eating disorders”
- Our desk filed its story
Snap has settled a lawsuit brought by two teenagers who accused the company of designing its platform to be addictive and contributing to their depression, anxiety and eating disorders, TechCrunch reported Monday, saying Reuters first reported the deal1.
The plaintiffs had already settled with Meta, TikTok and YouTube, according to TechCrunch1. The Snap trial had been set as the company's first in a wider set of cases over social media's effects on young users, and Snap had already settled its other cases scheduled for trial1.
Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel had been expected to take the stand1. Settlement terms were not disclosed in the TechCrunch account1.
The teenagers said they began using YouTube as young as age 3 and other social media around age 9, and that they developed compulsive use they tied to features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling1.
A Snap spokesperson told TechCrunch the parties were pleased to resolve the matter amicably and said the company had built safeguards, launched safety tutorials and partnered with experts, while remaining committed to strengthening safety, privacy and well-being1.
TechCrunch said social media companies face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts alleging they knowingly designed platforms to hook young users and fuel a youth mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression and suicide1. Those broader claims were not adjudicated in this settlement as described1.
