Allegations of Algorithmic Addiction
The lawsuit was filed by a 19-year-old woman, identified only as K.G.M., who alleges that the platforms’ algorithm-driven designs left her addicted and harmed her mental health.
Her claims strike at the digital engine rooms of modern social media, arguing that features such as endless scrolling, notifications and recommendation systems act less like neutral tools and more like slot machines engineered to keep users hooked.
A Broader Legal Battle Continues
Although Snap settles social media addiction lawsuit in this case, the company is not entirely free of the legal storm. It remains a defendant in other similar lawsuits that have been consolidated in the same court.
The cluster of cases is being closely monitored because it threatens a legal defense social media companies have relied on for decades.
Section 230 Under the Microscope
For years, tech companies have argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shields them from liability over content posted by third parties.
Plaintiffs counter that the cases are not about user posts, but about design decisions — the algorithms and alerts that allegedly foster compulsive use and contribute to harms such as depression and eating disorders.
The companies maintain that the evidence presented so far does not prove they are responsible for such outcomes.
