Meta settled with a second teen plaintiff on Friday, one day after settling with the first, which means the company that spent a decade insisting its apps aren't addictive has now paid off two girls who said they were rather than let a jury hear it. Snap is the only defendant left standing in a Los Angeles courtroom, and opening arguments start Nov. 4.
Two Settlements, Two Days, Zero Disclosed Dollars
Here's what happened, per NBC News. On Thursday, Meta settled with S.J., a teen plaintiff who claimed Instagram and Facebook were addictive and damaged her mental health. On Friday, it settled with K.D.B., who made nearly identical claims. The terms of both deals are confidential.
So we don't know the number. We know the timing. A jury had just started getting picked this week, and Meta decided that twelve strangers hearing this evidence was a worse outcome than whatever check it wrote.
That's a business decision, and a very legible one. You don't quietly pay to avoid a trial you're confident you'll win.
TikTok and YouTube Got Out First
Meta wasn't alone in the sprint for the exits. In the weeks before trial, TikTok and YouTube both reached agreements to resolve the claims brought by S.J. and K.D.B. as well.
Think about that sequence. Three of the four giants named in this case looked at the courtroom, looked at their own internal documents and their own lawyers, and decided to pay their way out of it. Four defendants walked in. One is left.
The lawyer for K.D.B., Emily Jeffcott, said her team was "pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client." Fair enough. Her client got a result. The rest of us got a confidentiality clause.
Snap Is Now Alone in the Room
That leaves Snap Inc., the maker of Snapchat, as the lone defendant in the trial that began this week in Los Angeles with jury selection. Opening arguments are slated for Nov. 4.
The plaintiffs allege Snap designed features to maximize the time kids spend on the app. They point to Snapstreaks, Snapscores and filters they say trigger compulsive use, leading to serious mental and physical health problems, including self-harm.
Snap's defense is that Snapchat "opens to a camera, not a feed," and that it has built safeguards and safety tools. Its statement says the allegations "fundamentally misrepresent the plaintiffs' experiences." We'll find out what a jury thinks. Notably, Snapchat is the app that invented the streak, a counter that shames you if you miss a day of talking to your friend. Someone designed that on purpose.
This Is Case Number Four in a Pile of 1,600
This trial is the fourth bellwether in a consolidated mess of cases against Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap. More than 1,600 plaintiffs are involved, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts. They accuse the companies of knowingly building addictive products that hurt young users' mental health.
Bellwether trials exist so everyone can see how juries react and price the rest of the cases accordingly. Meta just did the pricing in advance and paid the cover charge to skip the show.
Historically, these companies have hidden behind Section 230, the law saying internet companies aren't liable for what users post. The trick of these lawsuits is that they aren't about posts. They're about design. The streaks, the filters, the infinite hooks. That's a product, not a comment section.
The Record Meta Keeps Telling You to Stand By
In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google's YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their platforms. Jurors found their negligence was a substantial factor in harming the plaintiff, identified as K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users. She was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages, with Meta 70% responsible and YouTube 30%.
Then in August, Meta agreed to settle a sprawling case with California and other states for about $18 billion. The filing says Meta "denies the allegations against it and that it has any liability" to the 29 plaintiff states.
Read that again. Eighteen billion dollars, and the company denies any liability. That's not a settlement. That's a very expensive way of saying "no comment" with a straight face.
Meta's Statement Is a Masterpiece of Nerve
Friday's Meta statement said the company has "spent more than a decade building protections for teens," and touted its agreement with 52 bipartisan attorneys general, including "strict time limits, no access at night, and no notifications during school hours." It added: "We hope the rest of our industry joins us in setting this new standard."
A new standard. Of not texting teenagers at 2 a.m. and not pinging them during math class. These are the protections that took a decade, a jury verdict, and a multistate legal beatdown to arrive.
Meta also says it will keep defending itself in court. Sure. Just not in front of these particular juries.
The Dingo Take
$18 billion. That's what Meta agreed to pay to make 29 states go away, while telling a court it "denies the allegations" and has no liability. Now it's quietly buying out teenage plaintiffs one day at a time before a jury can hear the evidence. When you keep paying to avoid a verdict, you already know the verdict.
The confidentiality is the part that should make you furious. The terms of both settlements are secret. The public, whose kids are the product here, doesn't get to see what Meta thought a girl's mental health was worth. That's by design, and it's the same design philosophy as the apps.
Snap is next in the barrel, and it may roll the dice where the others flinched. If a jury in Los Angeles looks at Snapstreaks and sees what the plaintiffs say they see, the industry's best argument, that none of this is anyone's fault, gets a lot harder to say with a straight face. Meta already knows it. That's why it paid.
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