Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a settlement with an 18-year-old woman who accused the company of designing its social media platforms to be addictive, allegedly causing her mental health problems and eating disorders.

The terms of the agreement with the young woman, identified only by the initials K.D.B., have not been disclosed. Meta had also reached a settlement earlier this week with a second claimant, a 16-year-old identified as S.J.

The agreements mean that a trial in Los Angeles, where jury selection began on Wednesday, October 28, is now expected to proceed solely against Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat.

“We remain committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client,” said Emily Jeffcott, a lawyer representing K.D.B.

Allegations of addiction from an early age

The proceedings mark the second trial in a Los Angeles state court involving young people who claim they became addicted to social media because technology companies deliberately designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use.

Both teenagers had previously reached settlements with TikTok and YouTube.

S.J., a 16-year-old from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi, claim they began using YouTube as early as the age of three and joined other social media platforms at around nine.

They allege that features including autoplay, which automatically starts new videos, and infinite scrolling, which allows users to browse content continuously, encouraged compulsive behaviour and contributed to their mental health difficulties.

The companies have rejected allegations that their platforms were deliberately designed to addict young users. They maintain that they have introduced measures intended to make their applications safer environments in which teenagers can communicate and express themselves.

Thousands of lawsuits against social media companies

The case is among thousands of lawsuits filed against major social media companies in federal and state courts across the United States.

The claimants include individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government bodies, which accuse technology companies of knowingly developing addictive products and contributing to a mental health crisis among young people, including anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviour.

The Los Angeles proceedings were selected as a test case, meaning their outcome could influence the handling and potential settlement of similar lawsuits.

In the first case to reach trial, which concluded in March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and awarded a young woman $6 million in damages.

Two other teenagers whose cases had been selected for trial subsequently reached settlements or withdrew their claims. The first school district whose lawsuit had been scheduled for trial also reached agreements with all the companies involved.

Meta’s multibillion-dollar settlements with US states

In August, Meta reached settlements worth up to approximately $18 billion with nearly every US state and territory to resolve lawsuits brought by attorneys general over alleged harm to teenagers using its platforms.

As part of the agreements, the company also committed to changes in how Facebook and Instagram operate for users under the age of 18.

Earlier this month, a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay a $25 billion penalty after a jury found that the company had misled Facebook users about the privacy of their personal data and its handling of hate speech.

Meta has said it intends to appeal the ruling.