YouTube settles lawsuit over social media addiction claims by minor
YouTube settled a lawsuit brought by a 15-year-old Florida resident who alleged the platform's features like infinite scroll and autoplay were designed to be addictive and caused anxiety and sleep deprivation. The settlement follows a jury verdict awarding $6 million to another user against Meta and YouTube for similar claims, part of a broader wave of litigation in California over social media's impact on children's mental health.
What happened
A 15-year-old identified as R.K.C. from Florida sued YouTube, alleging the platform was designed to be addictive through features like infinite scroll and autoplay that continuously show new content to users.
YouTube, owned by Google, settled the lawsuit amicably. Google stated its focus remained on building age-appropriate products and parental controls.
Reported impact
R.K.C. claimed the addictive features drove compulsive use that caused anxiety and sleep deprivation.
The settlement follows a similar case where a jury awarded another user $6 million against Meta and YouTube for designing platforms to be addictive to young users.
Index analysis
The case is the second in a series overseen by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl to resolve more than 1,000 similar cases in California.
R.K.C. is also suing Instagram-parent Meta, TikTok, and Snap Inc, with trial scheduled for 27 July in Los Angeles.
Governance controls
YouTube launched YouTube Kids in 2015, a version designed and curated for children.
Google stated it had built YouTube responsibly, working with families to give young people safer, more helpful experiences online for more than a decade.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.