A 15-year-old boy from Florida has dropped his lawsuit against Meta over claims that the company's social media platforms are addictive and harmed his mental health. The case, which was set to go to trial next week in Los Angeles, has now been withdrawn.
The teenager, known by the initials R.K.C., had claimed that features such as infinite scroll and autoplay, which continuously show users new content, drove compulsive use that became a type of addiction. He argued that these features caused him anxiety and sleep deprivation, among other issues.
This development follows a previous trial in which Meta and YouTube were found liable for harming a young woman's mental health. The jury awarded her $6mn (£4.4mn) in damages, the first time that social media platforms had been held liable for their effects on users.
Both companies have since appealed that verdict. The Los Angeles Superior Court is overseeing hundreds of lawsuits making similar claims of addiction and harm against social media companies, with a small number selected to go to trial.
In related news, Meta settled a lawsuit with a school district in May for an undisclosed amount, after the school district had sued the company for negatively impacting students and incurring costs related to student welfare.