Key facts
- A lawsuit against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok by a 15-year-old plaintiff alleging mental health harms has been dropped.
- The plaintiff, identified as R.K.C., claimed Meta's platforms contributed to his depression and anxiety.
A Florida teenager suing Meta platforms over alleged mental health harms, including depression and anxiety, has dropped his case just days before a trial was set to begin in Los Angeles. The lawsuit originally named Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok.
The dropping of this lawsuit, following settlements by other major platforms, highlights the ongoing legal challenges and evolving landscape surrounding the impact of social media on young people's mental health.
A Florida teenager who sued Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media companies, alleging their platforms contributed to his depression and anxiety, has dropped his case against Meta just days before a trial was set to begin in Los Angeles. The lawsuit, brought by a 15-year-old identified as R.K.C., originally named Meta's Instagram, Google's YouTube, Snap Inc.'s Snapchat, and ByteDance's TikTok as defendants.
YouTube and TikTok reached settlements in June, and Bloomberg reported on Monday that Snap had also reached a tentative settlement. R.K.C. began using social media around the age of 8 and claimed he became addicted, leading to sleep loss, depression, and anxiety, according to court filings.
In a separate, landmark case, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable in March 2026 for intentionally designing addictive platforms that harmed a young woman's mental health, awarding her $6 million in damages. Meta and Google stated they disagreed with the verdict and intended to appeal, with Meta asserting that teen mental health is complex and cannot be linked to a single app. The verdict in that case was seen as potentially impacting hundreds of similar lawsuits pending in US courts.