Google’s YouTube settles social media addiction lawsuit brought by Florida

Google’s YouTube has settled a social media addiction case brought by a 15-year-old in Florida who accused the platform of causing mental health harms to children, according to the plaintiff’s lawyers.

The terms of the settlement in the state court lawsuit against the social media giant were confidential, the lawyers said on Tuesday.

“YouTube’s decision to resolve this case before having to face a jury speaks for itself. We will continue fighting on behalf of all those affected by social media addiction to bring these companies to justice and compel them to prioritize the safety of their young users over their bottom lines,” the plaintiff’s lawyers said in a statement, according to Reuters.

“We will continue fighting on behalf of all those affected by social media addiction to bring these companies to justice and compel them to prioritize the safety of their young users over their bottom lines.”

META LOBBIES CONGRESS FOR IMMUNITY FROM LAWSUITS ALLEGING ONLINE HARM TO CHILDREN

Google’s YouTube has settled a social media addiction case brought by a 15-year-old in Florida. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images, File / Getty Images)

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to FOX Business that the lawsuit had been amicably resolved and that the company’s focus “remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise.”

“For more than a decade, we’ve built YouTube responsibly — working with families to give young people safer, more helpful experiences online,” Castañeda said.

The teenager, who used the initials R.K.C. in court documents, argued that YouTube and other social media companies had designed their platforms to be addictive.

He said he started using social media when he was about 8 years of age and allegedly became addicted, losing sleep and suffering from depression and anxiety.

JURY FINDS META, GOOGLE LIABLE IN LANDMARK SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION TRIAL, AWARDS MORE THAN $6M IN DAMAGES

The teenager argued that YouTube and other social media companies had designed their platforms to be addictive. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images, File / Getty Images)

R.K.C. is also suing Meta, TikTok and Snapchat in a trial set to begin next month in Los Angeles.

More than 3,300 lawsuits involving addiction claims against social media companies are pending in California state court, while another 2,600 cases brought by people, school districts, municipalities and states are pending in California federal court.

The first trial ended in March after a woman claimed ⁠she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a ​young age because of their attention-grabbing…