Snapchat confirmed it made a deal to avoid a US civil trial accusing it, along with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, of addicting young people to social media. Many of those cases are being coordinated by the Social Media Victims Law Center, a legal organization dedicated to holding social media companies accountable for harms caused to young people online. Social media firms are accused in suits of addicting young users to content that has led to depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, and even suicide. Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel was slated to testify at the trial along with other social media firm executives, including Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg. The suit heading for jury trial in Los Angeles accuses social media algorithms of addicting a 19-year-old woman, causing severe mental health problems.

Source: Philippine Star January 22, 2026 05:45 UTC