YouTube settles early test case over social media harm to children - Engadget

The Google-owned platform has thousands of similar lawsuits pending. Following a similar lawsuit earlier this year, Google has settled with a minor known as "R.K.C." who claimed that social media platforms harmed them, Reuters reported. Terms of the settlement were confidential, the lawyers said yesterday. The same plaintiff also sued Meta, Snap and TikTok, with those trials set to proceed next month. YouTube has thousands of similar lawsuits pending, so this second case represents a test run for the many to follow. "Our ⁠focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise," a Google spokesperson told Reuters in a statement, adding that the case was amicably resolved. The first trial was brought by a 20-year-old woman known as "K.G.M.," who also claimed harm due to the addictive nature of social media. That person won their trial and was awarded $6 million in damages, with $4.2 million coming from Meta and $1.8 million from Google. YouTube vowed to launch an appeal for that case, saying it "responsibly built a streaming platform, not a social media site." More than 3,300 lawsuits involving social media addiction are pending in Calif