Snap Settles Teen Mental‑Health Lawsuit Amid Wave of Social‑Media Cases

Snap agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by two teenagers who said the app’s design worsened their depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The case was part of a growing wave of legal actions accusing social‑media firms of harming youth mental health. The teenagers had already reached settlements with Meta, TikTok and YouTube over similar claims. They testified that they began watching YouTube at age three and other platforms around age nine, and that features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling created compulsive usage habits. The pending trial would have been Snap’s first in the series, and CEO Evan Spiegel was set to take the stand, but the company resolved the dispute before court. A Snap spokesperson said both parties were pleased with the amicable outcome and pointed to safeguards, safety tutorials and partnerships with experts, adding that safety work never ends. The settlement joins thousands of lawsuits filed in federal and state courts that allege companies deliberately design addictive experiences for young users and fuel a youth mental‑health crisis involving anxiety, depression and suicide.

Context

Design tricks like autoplay and endless scroll keep users scrolling longer, a pattern researchers link to higher rates of anxiety and depression among teens. Regulators are watching these practices, and settlements signal that platforms may need stronger safety features.