YouTube settles teen addiction suit ahead of July California trial

YouTube settled a lawsuit from a Florida teenager who alleged the platform's design fueled compulsive use, anxiety and sleep loss, taking Google out of a closely watched California case over social media harm to children. The plaintiff, identified in court filings as R.K.C., had sued YouTube along with Meta, TikTok and Snap. Settlement terms were not disclosed. The remaining companies are still scheduled to go to trial on July 27 in Los Angeles before Judge Carolyn Kuhl. The case is the second bellwether trial in a California court system handling thousands of similar lawsuits. In March, a jury found Meta and YouTube liable in an earlier case and awarded $6 million to a young woman who said the platforms were addictive.