New Jersey Teen Withdraws Bellwether Lawsuit Over Social Media Addiction Claims

A New Jersey teen who alleged that Meta, YouTube, and Snap had developed addictive and damaging social‑media products withdrew her bellwether lawsuit against the firms on Thursday, providing a brief reprieve for the tech giants as they continue to defend themselves in ongoing litigation.

This matter is the third of nine major personal‑injury bellwether cases that could expose Meta, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok to substantial financial liability and compel changes to their platform designs; a California Superior Court judge selected these cases as exemplars for a potential class‑action suit.

A California plaintiff secured a victory in the first case, while the second was subsequently dismissed.

The New Jersey teenager, identified only as P.M.Y., filed the suit in 2023 at age 14. Prior to trial, she settled comparable claims with TikTok for an undisclosed amount, and the case had been slated for trial in October in Los Angeles County.

“P.M.Y. began this process to hold social‑media companies accountable and to advocate for changes that would protect young people like herself,” said Emily Jeffcott, the plaintiff’s attorney. “She settled her claim against TikTok and dismissed the remaining claims so she could return to her normal life.”

Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw said the company will continue to defend itself in court.

“This plaintiff’s serious mental‑health condition existed before she used social media, and many of these cases follow a similar pattern,” Ms. Crenshaw added.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the dismissal bolsters YouTube’s claim that it offers safe, age‑appropriate experiences and robust parental controls for young people and families.

Tech companies have been confronted with thousands of lawsuits filed by teenagers, school districts, and state attorneys general, who allege that features such as infinite scroll are addictive akin to cigarettes. The companies argue that there is no scientific evidence that their platforms cause addiction and contend that the suits infringe on online speech protections.

In the first personal‑injury trial held in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County in January, a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and ordered them to pay $6 million in damages to a 20‑year‑old California woman; this verdict helped validate a novel legal theory that social media can cause personal injury, exposing the companies to substantial financial exposure.

However, the second case, filed by a 15‑year‑old Florida teenager, was dismissed last month after he settled the lawsuit with TikTok, Snap, and YouTube.

Beyond the nine personal‑injury bellwether cases in Los Angeles, the major social‑media firms are also confronting a series of federal trials in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland. This week, the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey initiated the first federal trial by accusing Meta of violating federal child‑privacy statutes and state consumer‑protection laws.

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