Jamaine Punzalan

In this file photo taken on April 13, 2020, the social media application logo, TikTok settled a lawsuit with a teenager just weeks before the company was set to go to trial in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are responsible for the harms their products might cause. is displayed on the screen of an iPhone, in Arlington, Virginia. Olivier Douliery, AFP

Article (news)

TikTok

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178295405155620200313-tiktok-logo-AFP-.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">In this file photo taken on April 13, 2020, the social media application logo, TikTok settled a lawsuit with a teenager just weeks before the company was set to go to trial in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are responsible for the harms their products might cause. is displayed on the screen of an iPhone, in Arlington, Virginia. Olivier Douliery, AFP</span></span></span></div><p>TikTok settled a lawsuit with a teenager just weeks before the company was set to go to trial in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are responsible for the harms their products might cause.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/6/22/how-tiktok-style-videos-keep-human-brains-hooked-on-content-1016">How TikTok-style videos keep human brains hooked on content </a></div><p>The 15-year-old Florida teenager, identified only by his initials R.K.C., has accused four social media companies of harming his mental health and previously reached a settlement agreement with YouTube on June 23.</p><p>This leaves only Meta and Snapchat as defendants in the trial which is scheduled to begin July 27 in Los Angeles.</p><p>&quot;We can confirm that a settlement in principle has been reached with TikTok,&quot; law firm Morgan &amp; Morgan, which represents the teenager, told AFP on Wednesday without specifying the terms.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/5/13/tiktok-shop-ph-sees-growth-despite-rising-prices-1722">TikTok Shop PH sees growth despite rising prices </a></div><p>TikTok also previously settled a similar case, the first of its kind, in January before the trial started.</p><p>This second trial, to be held in a Los Angeles courtroom, is considered another benchmark for how thousands of social media addiction lawsuits could play out in the United States.</p><p>The Florida teenager claims that years of compulsive social media use contributed to severe psychological disorders -– anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts –- for which he is still receiving treatment.</p><p>&quot;These social media companies have been strategizing for years to hook children early and maximize their usage with insidious features like autoplay and infinite scroll, all with the aim of increasing profits at the expense of the mental health of our youth,&quot; the plaintiff&#x27;s attorneys at Morgan &amp; Morgan said in a statement after settling with YouTube.</p><p>In March, a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google, YouTube&#x27;s parent company, to pay the young woman known as K.G.M. $6 million.</p><p>TikTok and Snap both settled before the trial without any admission of liability.</p><p>In May, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube agreed to pay about $27 million to a school district in Kentucky to avoid a trial. That case was also seen as a test for around 1,200 other lawsuits from school districts nationwide.</p><p>In a separate case that could go to trial in August in Oakland, more than thirty US states are suing <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/7/1/fear-and-anger-brew-inside-meta-amid-ai-frenzy-1555">Meta </a>over similar allegations.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/1/23/tiktok-establishes-joint-venture-to-end-us-ban-threat-1025">TikTok establishes joint venture to end US ban threat </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/3/31/-we-re-kidding-ourselves-tech-ceo-warns-vs-ph-social-media-ban-for-minors-1217">&#x27;We’re kidding ourselves&#x27;: Tech CEO warns vs PH social media ban for minors </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/2/19/meta-s-mark-zuckerberg-testifies-at-youth-social-media-addiction-trial-1159">Meta&#x27;s Mark Zuckerberg testifies at youth social media addiction trial </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NNVpAAYFOeM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BYbt197b5ao?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qi26HNqwgaQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>TikTok settled a lawsuit with a teenager just weeks before the company was set to go to trial in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are responsible for the harms their products might cause.</p>

TikTok settled a lawsuit with a teenager just weeks before the company was set to go to trial in a second landmark case over whether social media companies are responsible for the harms their products might cause.

TikTok settles with US teenager ahead of social media addiction trial

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TikTok settles with US teenager ahead of social media addiction trial

Agence France-Presse

Published July 02, 2026 09:04 AM PHT

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