Florida teen drops social media addiction lawsuit against Meta days before trial

The dismissal

A 15-year-old Florida boy identified as R.K.C. dropped his social media addiction lawsuit against Meta on Wednesday, just five days before the case was set to go before a jury in Los Angeles. The plaintiff had already reached settlements with the three other defendants: YouTube and TikTok settled in June, and Snap reached a tentative agreement on Monday. Meta said R.K.C. received no payment for dropping his claims.

In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta.

The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.

The plaintiff's allegations

R.K.C., from Panama City, Florida, said he started using social media around age eight and became addicted, losing sleep and developing depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. His lawsuit argued that features like infinite scroll and autoplay drove compulsive use. Meta countered in court filings that company data showed the teen used Instagram and Facebook for less than ten minutes a day on average, and that most of his accounts were created after he hired a lawyer.

Settlements with other platforms

YouTube and TikTok settled confidentially in June, removing them from the trial. Snap's tentative settlement on July 20 left Meta as the only remaining defendant. The terms of those agreements have not been disclosed. The plaintiff's lawyer, Emily Jeffcott, said R.K.C. was satisfied with the overall result and wanted to focus on his recovery and therapy.

Broader litigation landscape

The case was the second of nine bellwether trials selected from more than 3,000 individual lawsuits filed against the largest social media platforms. The first bellwether trial ended in March with a Los Angeles jury finding Meta and Google liable for harming a young woman's mental health and awarding her $6 million in damages; Meta was found 70 percent responsible. Both companies are appealing that verdict. In a separate New Mexico case earlier this year, Meta was ordered to pay $375 million for misleading consumers about platform safety for children. In May, Meta settled with a school district that had sought $60 million for student welfare costs.

What comes next

The next bellwether trial is scheduled for October in Los Angeles Superior Court. Meta described the dismissal as a victory, while the plaintiff's attorneys said the case helped push for changes to protect young people. Thousands of similar lawsuits from teenagers, school districts and state attorneys general remain pending across the United States.