It’s more apparent than ever just how harmful social media is to the impressionable minds of teens.
But that’s not a story that social platforms want you to hear. According to explosive new reporting by Bloomberg, both Meta and TikTok secretly paid off a dozen teen plaintiffs in settlements most of which ranged anywhere from $2 million to $2.5 million in a bid to keep their claims out of the public eye.
The teen plaintiffs accused the companies of causing their depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and anxiety. According to the publication’s insider sources, Meta paid just two teens a combined $7 million to keep them quiet — a startling revelation that highlights how far these companies are willing to keep a highly sensitive subject out of the headlines.
Experts say it’s also a part of a broader effort to discourage other plaintiffs to come forward, a gambit that isn’t exactly paying off. Per Bloomberg, there are almost 10,000 personal injury cases still pending in both state and federal courts against Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok following landmark trials that opened the floodgates. Over 1,000 school districts are also accusing social media companies of harming students, prioritizing profits over the safety of underage users.
In other words, despite its efforts to keep teen plaintiffs quiet by paying them millions of dollars, the companies are still exposed to plenty of liability, which could add up to almost $400 billion, according to Bloomberg’s estimates.
The social media companies “offered so much money that my clients could not refuse,” trial attorney Mark Lanier, who represents two of the teen plaintiffs, told Bloomberg. “These are not insignificant numbers.”
“I believe they are the first dominoes to fall in what will be a succession of dominoes to come,” he added.
More on social media addiction: Horrifying Research Finds What Happens to 12-Year-Olds Who Get Smart Phones
The post Meta and TikTok Have Been Secretly Paying Millions of Dollars to Teens to Keep Their Experiences Out of Court appeared first on Futurism.
