A week after Snapchat, TikTok in turn preferred to reach an agreement before the start of the trial which was to see them appear in the United States alongside Meta and YouTube, accused by thousands of plaintiffs of having knowingly designed their applications to promote addiction among young users.
The confidential agreement between ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, and the plaintiff, whose case will influence all others, was announced to the judge at the opening of the trial Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, according to minutes consulted by AFP.
The trial concerns a 19-year-old Californian woman, identified in the case by the initials KGM, whose complaint was chosen to test the resolution of mass litigation that weighs on tech giants.
These companies are the subject of several legal proceedings accusing them of knowingly designing their applications, in particular their personalized recommendation algorithms, to prolong the time spent on the app as much as possible.
After the transactions, possibly involving secret financial terms, between ByteDance and Snap Inc., publisher of Snapchat, only Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and Alphabet (YouTube) remain involved in this first highly anticipated case.
The trial in a California court began Tuesday with the jury selection process, scheduled to last until Friday, before the proceedings begin next week.
Until now, major social networks had escaped prosecution thanks to a piece of legislation that effectively exempts them from responsibility for content published on their platforms, section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
The plaintiffs' lawyers therefore adopted an alternative approach, attacking not the content but the product's design flaw, echoing the strategy used in the 1990s and 2000s against the tobacco industry.
Having joined YouTube at six, Instagram at 11, Snapchat at 13 and TikTok at 14, the Californian plaintiff claims to have developed an addiction to these sites, which she alleges contributed to a depressive state, anxiety, body image disturbances and suicidal thoughts.
Numerous studies in recent years have highlighted the damage caused by social networks to some young users.
The plaintiff did not specify the estimated amount of her damages and only requested a trial before a civil court in the State of California.
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The debates, led by Judge Carolyn Kuhl, are expected to shine a spotlight on the methods of major tech players, who are increasingly criticized for their impact on young internet users.
Several executives are expected to be questioned, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, opens against the backdrop of a major movement to further regulate these platforms, illustrated by the ban on under-16s that came into effect in Australia at the end of December.
The debate concerning traditional social networks has been compounded by that concerning generative artificial intelligence (AI) interfaces, which are also accused of causing addiction among some young people.
The outcome of the trial will set a precedent for the numerous similar proceedings currently underway.
Two other test cases are each due to go to trial in April and June before Judge Kuhl, while another, of national scope, could be held in the second half of 2026 before a federal judge in Oakland, near San Francisco.
Under pressure, several major social networks have put in place measures to regulate the use of their services by minors.
Instagram notably launched accounts for teenagers in 2024, while Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok have also included enhanced protections.
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