Warning: This article contains mention of depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, suicidal ideation, and self-harm
TikTok has just reached a settlement after being sued by a 19-year-old California resident, and it happened just hours before the social media giant was set to be taken to court amid claims that the app had damaged the plaintiff's health.
There is a growing concern surrounding the effect that social media apps can have on the mental health of individuals, and that is only increased when considering it specifically within children.
Studies have already outlined the shockingly short amount of time it takes to become addicted to apps like TikTok, and the nature of an algorithmically-driven feed often leads to potentially dangerous content being shown — which left the platform the target of another major lawsuit recently.
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Now, as reported by Bloomberg, TikTok is just one of several social media platforms to be sued by a teenager, and she claims that led her to develop a number of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, suicidal ideation, and self-harm behavior.
The plaintiff, referred to as 'KGM', indicated that her social media usage began at just 10-years-old, and claims that specific features such as the algorithm, continuous scroll, autoplay, and push notifications directly impacted her mental health and fostered an addiction.
She had already previously reached a settlement with Snap – the parent company of Snapchat – in a similar case on January 20, and just hours before the TikTok suit was set to enter court the parties were able to reach a last-minute settlement of their own.
Legal experts have asserted that the settlement isn't perhaps as clear as it might seem from the outside though, with Professor Eric Goldman of the Santa Clara University School of Law offering his interpretation.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Professor Goldman explained: "We don't know if any money moved. We don't know if any remedial changes were agreed to, we don't know if this was some kind of delayed tactic to defer issues, if this was some strategic choice to deal with a particularly sympathetic victim.
"There's so many things that could have gone into that decision, and so it's just impossible to jump to conclusions," he added.
As a consequence of the two settlements so far, no information or evidence has yet been revealed from the cases, yet further lawsuits against both Google and Meta from the plaintiff appear to be going ahead as planned in the coming weeks.
Two attorneys in a parallel federal court case have claimed that the settlements obtained by KGM from Snap and TikTok are an 'important step' in achieving accountability from social media juggernauts, with Lexi Hazam and Previn Warren indicate:
"As trials begin, more evidence will come to light of the widespread harm caused by social media platforms that put profit over adolescent safety."