LOS ANGELES — TikTok reached an agreement late Monday to settle a social media addiction lawsuit on the eve of a potentially landmark trial.

The trial, set to begin in the California Superior Court of Los Angeles, is the first of several lawsuits expected to be heard this year against TikTok, Snap, Meta and YouTube, The New York Times reported.

TikTok and Snap have settled in the first case, the newspaper reported. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and YouTube’s chief, Neal Mohan, are expected to testify.

The case involves a 19-year-old woman from California, identified as K.G.M., NBC News reported. According to court documents, the plaintiff said in the 2023 lawsuit that she became addicted to social media platforms at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design.

She blamed her depression and suicidal thoughts on the apps she used.

“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit alleges.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and changes to the design of social media platforms, the Times reported.

K.G.M.’s case is one of three scheduled “bellwether” trial, NBC News reported. It was chosen from hundreds of related lawsuits that accuse the platforms of harming young people.

A lawyer for the plaintiff said in a statement reported by The Associated Press that TikTok remains a defendant in the other personal injury cases. The trial in California will proceed against Meta and Snap.

Joseph VanZandt, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiff, confirmed the settlement but did not disclose details, the Times reported.

Mark Lanier, another lead lawyer for the plaintiff, said in a statement that “this is a good resolution, and we are pleased with the settlement.”

© 2025 Cox Media Group