Snap Inc.—Snap settled bellwether lawsuit alleging Snapchat harmed teen mental health through addictive design
In January 2026, Snap Inc. settled a bellwether case just days before trial, in which a 19-year-old woman and her mother alleged she developed mental health problems after becoming addicted to Snapchat. The suit accused Snapchat of engineering features like infinite scroll, Snapstreaks, and recommendation algorithms that made the app nearly impossible for kids to stop using, leading to depression, eating disorders, and self-harm. The settlement terms were confidential. The broader MDL included over 2,243 plaintiffs as of January 2026.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Safety | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Consumer Protection | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Mental Health | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.828 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Snap settled bellwether social media mental health case days before trial
Snap Inc. reached a confidential settlement in a bellwether case brought by a 19-year-old woman and her mother alleging she developed mental health problems from Snapchat addiction, just days before the case was scheduled to go to trial in January 2026.
MDL social media harm litigation involving Snapchat reached 2,243 plaintiffs
By January 2026, the multidistrict litigation involving Snapchat and other social media platforms for alleged mental health harms to children reached 2,243 plaintiffs. Suits accuse platforms of engineering addictive features like infinite scroll, Snapstreaks, and recommendation algorithms that contributed to depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide.