TikTok has agreed to settle three major lawsuits brought by young users who accused the platform of being deliberately designed to be addictive and causing serious mental health problems.

The confidential settlements were confirmed by the plaintiffs' attorney, Joseph VanZandt, and mark one of the biggest developments so far in the growing legal fight over whether social media companies knowingly built products that harm children and teenagers.

The cases are among roughly 3,300 lawsuits consolidated in California state court alleging social media platforms encourage addiction and contribute to mental health issues among young users.

While TikTok has resolved these three claims, similar lawsuits against Meta, Google's YouTube and Snap's Snapchat remain on track for trial, with proceedings scheduled to begin in October.

The companies have denied the allegations, saying they have invested heavily in tools and policies designed to protect teenagers and younger users.

The three TikTok cases were selected as "bellwether" trials, test cases intended to help both sides assess how juries might respond before thousands of similar lawsuits move forward.

The plaintiffs, identified only by their initials, include a 15-year-old from Illinois, a 15-year-old from New Jersey and an 18-year-old from Mississippi.

According to their attorney, the lawsuits alleged the platform contributed to self-harm, anxiety, depression, addiction and eating disorders.

The settlements follow another bellwether case that ended in July after a teenage plaintiff dropped claims against Meta once the other defendants reached settlements.

In March, a separate California jury awarded a woman $4.2 million against Meta and $1.8 million against Google after she argued their platforms' attention-driven design caused her to become addicted to social media as a child. TikTok and Snap settled before that case went to trial.

The legal battle is far from over.

More than 2,600 additional lawsuits are pending against social media companies in California federal court, while nearly every U.S. state attorney general has also filed legal actions accusing major platforms of harming young users through addictive design features.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.