A 15-year-old Florida resident identified as R.K.C. voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against Meta ahead of a second bellwether trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the BBC reported.
The lawsuit concerned alleged harm linked to social-media use. The court did not consider the claims on their merits and did not rule on whether Meta was responsible for the alleged effects.
Meta said it did not pay the plaintiff to end the case. The teenager had previously settled claims against YouTube, TikTok and Snap; the terms of those agreements remained confidential.
Meta communications director Andy Stone said the teenager used the company’s platforms for only a few minutes and that some accounts were created after lawyers were hired. That is Meta’s position, not a finding by the court.
“The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.” — a Meta spokesperson in a comment to the BBC.
The case had been set to become the second bellwether trial in coordinated litigation against social platforms in Los Angeles. Its dismissal produced no court ruling on social-media addiction.
