Meta Platforms Inc. reached a confidential settlement on Friday with an 18-year-old Mississippi plaintiff who alleged the tech giant’s platforms fostered severe social media addiction and exacerbated youth mental health crises, averting a high-stakes trial just as jury selection got underway.

The plaintiff, identified in court filings as K.D.B., alleged that prolonged exposure to Instagram and Snapchat aggravated preexisting conditions, fueling an eating disorder, clinical depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.

Her case was consolidated in Los Angeles with that of S.J., an Illinois teenager who leveled similar accusations regarding platform algorithms and addictive design features. S.J. finalized a separate settlement with Meta last week, while initial defendants TikTok and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube also resolved claims out of court prior to jury selection.

Terms of Meta’s agreement were not disclosed.

Emily Jeffcott, trial counsel for K.D.B., confirmed the deal Friday, stating the legal team remains “committed to improving safety for kids on social media apps and holding tech companies accountable, and we are pleased to have brought this matter to a just resolution on behalf of our client.”

A Meta spokesperson downplayed the settlement as routine civil procedure. “Trials, dismissals and settlements are all common in the bellwether process, and this litigation is no exception,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to defend ourselves in court, and we stand by our record. We’ve spent more than a decade building protections for teens.”

Despite Meta’s exit, the legal battle continues against Snap Inc., the sole remaining defendant. A spokesperson for the Lanier Law Firm, representing the plaintiffs, affirmed that proceedings against Snapchat’s parent company will move forward. Attorneys claim Snap deliberately engineered engagement hooks — including Snapstreaks, Snapscores, persistent push notifications, and visual filters — to encourage compulsive behavior that inflicted profound psychological harm on minors.

Snap disputes the allegations and maintains its features are designed for communication rather than harmful retention. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is expected to take the stand to deliver his first-ever trial testimony. Opening statements are projected for early November, with proceedings expected to stretch into mid-December.

The settlement arrives amid an escalating barrage of nationwide legal and regulatory pressures confronting Big Tech over adolescent welfare. In March, a California jury held Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms suffered by another young plaintiff, K.G.M. Meta was also recently assessed a $25 billion penalty in New Mexico over user privacy violations and platform data practices.

Furthermore, Meta settled sweeping bipartisan litigation in August brought by dozens of state attorneys general, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion. That pact required the company to enact structural youth safety measures across Facebook and Instagram, including mandatory two-hour daily screen limits for minors, overnight application blackouts, and the suppression of notifications during regular school hours.