A Florida teenager identified as R.K.C. withdrew his lawsuit against Meta on July 22, 2026, just five days before a trial was set to start in Los Angeles Superior Court [1, 2, 3]. The suit alleged that compulsive use of Meta's platforms caused him anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts [1, 2, 3].

R.K.C.’s lawyers said he chose to drop the case to avoid a lengthy trial process and to focus on his recovery and therapy. "He did that. In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta," lawyers Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi said [1].

Meta called the claims "baseless" and stated the plaintiff dropped the case without receiving any payment. A Meta spokesperson said, "This outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits" [1, 3]. Meta intended to argue the plaintiff used its platforms minimally and that most accounts were created only after hiring lawyers [2].

Prior to the withdrawal, the plaintiff reached confidential settlements with TikTok, YouTube, and Snap in June and July 2026. These settlements left Meta as the only remaining defendant in the lawsuit [1, 2, 3].

The case was seen as a bellwether among thousands of similar social media addiction claims nationwide. A previous bellwether trial in Los Angeles in March 2026 resulted in Meta and YouTube being ordered to pay $6 million in damages to another plaintiff [1, 2, 3]. Additionally, Meta lost a separate trial in New Mexico and was ordered to pay $375 million for misleading consumers on platform safety risks for children [1, 2, 3].

Meta and other social media companies also settled a related case involving a Kentucky school district to avoid another landmark trial [1, 3]. Additional bellwether cases against Meta remain pending in California and federal courts [3].

The next major event will be the Los Angeles trial scheduled for July 27, 2026, which was set to address the plaintiff’s claims against Meta before his withdrawal [1, 2, 3].