YouTube settles ahead of California’s second social-media addiction trial

Google's YouTube has settled with a teenage plaintiff weeks before the second California bellwether trial over social-media addiction, leaving Meta's Instagram, Snap's Snapchat, and ByteDance's TikTok to face the jury on July 27. The plaintiff, R.K.C., alleges compulsive social media use caused anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The settlement follows a March verdict in the first bellwether where a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable and awarded $6 million. YouTube's exit mirrors the pattern set by Snap and TikTok in the first trial — companies that settled avoided public verdicts, while those that went to trial faced binding judgments. Over 3,300 individual addiction lawsuits and 2,400 additional cases are pending, making the bellwether outcomes critical reference points for valuing the broader litigation.

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