A Florida teenager who sued Meta, alleging that the company's social media platforms caused him depression and anxiety, has dropped his case. The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles this week.
The 15-year-old plaintiff, identified as R.K.C., initially named Google's YouTube, Meta's Instagram, Snap's Snapchat, and ByteDance's TikTok as defendants. YouTube and TikTok reached settlements with the teen in June. Bloomberg reported on Monday that Snap had also reached a tentative settlement.
Attorneys for R.K.C. stated that the teen elected to withdraw his claims against Meta in light of the "overall successful result of the litigation" and his concerns about undergoing a lengthy trial. They added that he is ready to "focus on his recovery and engage in therapy" with aspirations of living a normal life.
R.K.C. began using social media platforms around the age of 8 and, according to court filings, became addicted, experiencing sleep loss, depression, and anxiety.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the claims were dropped without any payment from the company. The spokesperson stated, "The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits."