Snap has reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit alleging that its Snapchat platform is addictive and harmful to children and young people, becoming the latest major tech firm to resolve such litigation rather than face trial. The case had been due to go before a jury this month, but Snap's decision follows similar settlements from TikTok and YouTube, leaving Meta as the sole remaining defendant still contesting the claims.

The lawsuit was brought by a plaintiff identified only as "R.K.C.", with a related jury trial for other defendants set to begin next week in Los Angeles. Meta has previously lost comparable child safety cases, including one in New Mexico earlier this year and another in March alongside Google, in which a Los Angeles jury awarded a plaintiff known as "Kaley" $6 million in damages. The terms of Snap's settlement have not been disclosed, and neither Snap nor Bloomberg, which first reported the deal, provided further detail; the growing string of settlements and jury losses is fuelling further litigation against social media firms over alleged addictive design and harm to young users' mental health.