US teenager withdraws Meta lawsuit before trial

A US teenager has withdrawn his lawsuit against Meta, his lawyers announced on Wednesday, ending a closely watched case over alleged harms from social media to children's mental health before trial.

The case had been due to go before a Los Angeles jury on July 27. Meta would have been the only remaining defendant after YouTube, TikTok and Snap reached confidential settlements.

The plaintiff, identified by the initials R.K.C., is a 15-year-old from Florida. He claims compulsive social media use contributed to anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, for which he continues to receive treatment.

His case was chosen as a bellwether to help resolve thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States. A first bellwether trial ended in March, when a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M.

R.K.C.'s lawyers, Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi, said in a joint statement that he had wanted to hold social media companies accountable and push for changes to protect young people. They said he had elected to withdraw his claims against Meta because of what they described as the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a demanding weeks-long trial. They said he was ready to focus on recovery and therapy.

A Meta spokesperson said the plaintiff dropped the case against Meta, the only remaining defendant, without receiving any payment. Meta said the claims did not hold up and said it would continue defending itself against what it called baseless lawsuits. The company also said evidence showed the plaintiff averaged only minutes a day on Facebook and Instagram and created most accounts only after hiring a lawyer to bring the lawsuit.

YouTube reached a confidential settlement with R.K.C. in June. TikTok and Snap reached confidential settlements on July 1 and July 20 respectively.

Meta is facing wider litigation over allegations that its products are addictive and harm young people. In another case in New Mexico, Meta was found liable for misleading consumers about safety risks its platforms pose to children, and a jury ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages. In May, Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube reached confidential settlements with a Kentucky school district, avoiding another trial in Oakland, California.

In a separate case, more than 30 US states are suing Meta over similar allegations, with a possible trial set for August in Oakland. Another trial against Meta opened in Tennessee this week.