Why did Snapchat settle the social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles?

Snapchat's parent company settled a multi-million dollar case brought by two teenagers who said the app was designed to be addictive and caused them anxiety, eating disorders and other mental health problems. BBC global affairs reporter Paul Moss said the claim centred on infinite scrolling and autoplay, and that the company said it settled for business reasons. Meta, YouTube and TikTok, also named, had settled earlier.

• It is the second case of its kind in Los Angeles State Court.
• Paul Moss linked it to wider pressure on big tech, including Australia's social media ban for under-16s.
• He cited studies suggesting the brain gets more of a hit from searching than from reading.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-03). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode