A 15-year-old Florida resident identified by the initials R.K.C. has discontinued legal action against Meta regarding allegations of addiction and harm caused by the company’s platforms, including Instagram. The plaintiff had previously reached settlements on identical claims against TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, all of which face broader litigation centered on the purportedly addictive nature of their services and their negative effects on young users.
The case was scheduled to proceed to trial before a Los Angeles jury in the coming weeks. R.K.C. had argued that platform features such as infinite scroll and autoplay functionality—which automatically present users with continuous new content—encourage compulsive usage patterns amounting to addiction. The plaintiff claimed these mechanisms resulted in anxiety, sleep deprivation, and other health issues.
Attorneys for R.K.C., Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi, stated that their client entered the litigation seeking accountability from social media companies and advocating for protections benefiting young people. They cited concerns regarding the potential duration of a jury trial spanning multiple weeks and noted that the teenager wished to focus on personal recovery and therapeutic support. Meta’s representative asserted that the claims lacked merit and emphasized the company’s commitment to defending itself against what it characterized as unfounded litigation. The company stated that no payment was provided to the plaintiff in connection with the dismissal.
The withdrawal occurs within a broader landscape of extensive litigation against major social media platforms. In a related case, a jury previously determined that Meta and YouTube bore liability for mental health harm to a young woman and ordered the companies to pay $6 million in damages—marking the first instance of social media platforms facing such liability findings. Both companies have appealed that verdict. The Los Angeles Superior Court is managing hundreds of comparable lawsuits alleging addiction and harm, with the next trial scheduled to begin in October.
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