Meta social media addiction lawsuit dropped by teenage plaintiff
7 verified3 unconfirmed
A teenager identified as R.K.C. has voluntarily dropped his social media addiction lawsuit against Meta, the last remaining defendant in the case. The Florida plaintiff had previously reached settlement agreements with TikTok, Snap, and Google’s YouTube. The case was one of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of creating addictive platforms that harm minors. It was scheduled to be the second bellwether trial in a Los Angeles court, designed to test legal arguments against the companies. Meta stated that the plaintiff chose to drop the case without receiving any payment and that it would continue to defend against what it called baseless lawsuits. The dismissal follows previous courtroom setbacks for Meta, including a $375 million penalty in a New Mexico case and a separate $6 million damages award.
What’s verified
The plaintiff, a Florida teenager known by the initials R.K.C., dropped the case against Meta.
TikTok, Snap, and YouTube previously settled with the plaintiff for undisclosed amounts.
The case was set to be a bellwether trial in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, scheduled to begin the week of July 22, 2026.
Meta did not pay any settlement to the plaintiff.
Meta’s statement described the lawsuit as baseless and said it would not back away from defending itself.
Earlier in 2026, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in penalties for misleading consumers about platform safety and endangering children.
In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent and ordered them to pay $6 million in damages to a single plaintiff.
Not yet confirmed
One source reported that Meta had been prepared to argue the plaintiff used Facebook and Instagram only minutes per day on average and that most of his accounts were created after hiring a lawyer, but this claim is not confirmed by the other source.
One source reported that R.K.C.’s lawyers said he dropped the case to focus on recovery and therapy and “aspire to have a normal life,” but this was not mentioned in the other source.
One source noted that seven more bellwether cases remain on deck in the California state courthouse and that Meta still faces claims brought by state attorneys general in federal court next month, but these details are not corroborated by the other source.
Key figures
R.K.C. (plaintiff, initials only)
Meta (defendant)
TikTok, Snap, YouTube (settled defendants)
Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi (R.K.C.’s lawyers, per one source)
Andy Stone (Meta spokesperson, per one source)
Sources: TechCrunch, The Verge
