A 15-year-old Florida boy identified as R.K.C. has withdrawn his lawsuit against Meta just days before the case was set to reach a Los Angeles jury on July 27. The teenager had already reached confidential settlements with YouTube, TikTok and Snap in recent weeks, leaving Meta as the sole remaining defendant.
R.K.C. alleged that compulsive use of social media platforms starting around age eight caused addiction, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta said the claims were meritless and that the plaintiff received no payment to drop the case.
The withdrawal comes amid mounting legal pressure on Meta over child safety. A March bellwether trial ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman, a New Mexico jury hit Meta with a $375 million penalty for misleading the public about child safety risks, and more than 30 U.S. states have similar lawsuits pending, with a potential trial in Oakland in August.