TikTok Settles Teen Addiction Lawsuit Ahead Of Trial as Broader Bellwether Case Continues

Mike Snider, USA TODAY|USA TODAY

Jan 28•3 min read

TikTok Settles Teen Addiction Lawsuit Ahead Of Trial as Broader Bellwether Case Continues

For the first time, TikTok is celebrating its top creators of the year with an award ceremony. The inaugural2025 TikTok Awardswill honor a variety of content creators, including beauty influencers, film buffs, comedians and filmmakers. The ceremony's theme is "New Era. New Icons."Scroll through to see who hit the carpet, starting with Tefi Pessoa.

TikTok reached an agreement in principle to settle a lawsuit by a 19-year-old who said the app and other platforms used addictive design features that contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts. Jury selection was scheduled for Jan. 27 but did not proceed after the settlement. Meta and YouTube remain defendants in the broader bellwether litigation, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify. Snap reached a separate settlement last week.

TikTok has reached an agreement in principle to settle a lawsuit brought by a 19-year-old California woman who accused the short-video platform — alongside other social apps — of using design features that fostered addictive use and contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts.

The case, filed in California Superior Court and identified in filings only by initials, K.G.M., had been scheduled to begin jury selection on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Joseph VanZandt, an attorney for the plaintiff, told Reuters that his client and TikTok reached a settlement in principle before trial.

What the Complaint Alleged

In court papers, the plaintiff alleged that TikTok, along with other platforms such as YouTube, Meta and Snap, employed attention-grabbing design elements that encouraged compulsive use. She attributed worsening depression and suicidal ideation to her use of these apps and sought to hold the companies accountable for the harms she described.

Where The Case Stands

Although TikTok settled this particular claim, the larger bellwether trial process will continue. Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube’s parent, Alphabet, remain defendants in the coordinated litigation, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify. NPR reported that Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, reached its own settlement the week before.

These proceedings are part of three so-called "bellwether" test cases drawn from hundreds of similar lawsuits that allege major tech platforms knowingly designed features that hook children and teens, worsening a youth mental health crisis. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have said the bellwether trials were intended to test legal theories that could affect many related claims.

Other Details and Responses

Jason Ysais, a spokesman for the Social Media Victims Law Center, said the group is "waiting for the court to rule on unsealing details of the case," and could not share specifics until that happens. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY for comment on the settlement; spokespeople for Snap and the plaintiffs declined to detail their agreements to Reuters and USA TODAY.

Note: Separately, TikTok recently held its first annual TikTok Awards, honoring creators across categories under the theme "New Era. New Icons." Media coverage of the event included red-carpet photos and a guest list of creators and celebrities. Reports also noted that some users experienced an app outage around the same period and that an update was released after users reported issues.

This story was updated with new information. Contributing reporting: Reuters. Originally published by USA TODAY.