K.D.B. alleged that Meta's platforms were designed to be addictive and caused her mental health problems and disordered eating. Her attorney, Emily Jeffcott, said the legal team is "committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable." In remarks attributed to CBS News, Jeffcott also said she was "pleased to have brought the matter to a just resolution."

S.J., a 16-year-old from Illinois whose case was consolidated with K.D.B.'s, settled with Meta earlier, in the last week or so. She alleged that Snapchat features such as Snapstreaks and Snapscore contributed to her depression, eating disorder and anxiety. Both plaintiffs alleged that autoplay and infinite scroll drove compulsive use. Jury selection began Wednesday. Both had also reportedly settled with TikTok and YouTube before trial.

Their side argues that Snap used Snapstreaks, Snapscores, push notifications and filters to maximize young users' time, and that this caused injuries including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm. Snap disputes the allegations. A Snapchat spokesperson said the platform is "built differently" from traditional social media. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is expected to testify, reportedly for the first time at a trial.

Without the settlements, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri were expected to take the stand, as they have in earlier similar trials. A Meta spokesperson described trials, dismissals and settlements as common in the "bellwether process" and said the company will keep defending itself in similar litigation. The spokesperson added that Meta remains committed to safety and stands by more than a decade of building safety tools.

The case is being watched as a test for thousands of pending lawsuits alleging that social media companies sought to addict children and contributed to a youth mental health crisis. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a case brought by a young woman and awarded her $6 million. In August, Meta settled with U.S. states over claims that it hooked young users and concealed risks. Reports say that deal included default daily time limits of two hours for users under 18, nighttime blocks, and blocked notifications during school hours.

Meta also faces a $25 billion penalty ordered this month by a New Mexico judge over misleading users about data privacy and its handling of hate speech. The company plans to appeal.