Report from Courthouse News
In Brief – YouTube has reached a confidential settlement with R.K.C., a Florida teenager who was scheduled to be the plaintiff in the second bellwether trial in a massive lawsuit over the impact of social media on minors. As a result, the July 27 trial will proceed against Meta, TikTok and Snap, but not Google. Plaintiffs’ attorneys argued that YouTube’s decision to settle before trial underscores the strength of their case, while Google said the matter was resolved amicably and emphasized its commitment to age-appropriate products and parental controls. R.K.C., now 15, began using social media platforms at age 8, and his attorneys claim that his use led to serious mental health issues. The case is one of nearly 2,500 lawsuits alleging that social media platform design led to mental health harms being consolidated in the California court of Judge Carolyn Kuhl. The first bellwether trial resulted in a $6 million verdict against Google and Meta. Eight additional bellwether cases are planned, with outcomes potentially shaping a broader settlement that could cost the companies billions and lead to major industry changes.
Context – The litigation strategy alleging that social platforms were designed to addict young users and led to mental health harm was designed to circumvent Sec. 230 that protects digital platforms from liability for harm caused by content created by their users. Along with the thousands of private plaintiffs’ cases consolidated in Judge Kuhl’s court, lawsuits brought by schools claiming to have spent lots of money dealing with addicted youths are in the federal court of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. In the run-up to the first trial in Kuhl’s court, TikTok and Snap settled. Meta and YouTube did not, and a jury found them liable and awarded $6 million in damages. As the first trial in Gonzalez Rogers’ federal court approached, all four platforms settled and agreed to pay about $27 million to Kentucky’s Breathitt County School District. Two weeks after YouTube’s settlement, TikTok reached a settlement with R.K.C. while Meta is reportedly lobbying the US Congress for litigation relief as part of possible social media legislation.