California Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Attorneys

Social media addiction lawsuits are being filed against companies like TikTok, Instagram, Google, and Facebook for designing platforms that contribute to teen mental health harm. If your child has suffered from depression, anxiety, self-harm, or other psychological effects linked to excessive social media use, you may qualify for compensation. Our attorneys are currently reviewing claims nationwide.

• According to statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), children and teenagers using social media for 3.5 hours daily have a doubled risk of mental health problems.
• More than 40% of high school students experience depression, with increased rates in girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
• About 95% of 13-17-year-olds use social media, and one-third are online almost constantly.

Additionally, a 2026 jury awarded $3 million to a woman harmed by social media addiction after it found that Meta and YouTube’s addictive design contributed to her development of anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by social media use, Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers is here to help. Call us today at (800) 718-4658 or fill out our easy online contact form for a free case consultation!

Social Media Addiction Lawsuits – Quick Overview

• Who can file: Parents of minors or young adults harmed by social media
• Platforms involved: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube
• Injuries: Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide
• Compensation: Medical costs, emotional distress, pain and suffering

Latest Update

September 3, 2026 Update

There were 3,208 pending actions in the social media addiction MDL as of September 1.

It has been decided by Judge Kuhl that two teenagers who are suing Snap, Google and Meta will see their cases tried together in front of the same jury in Los Angeles beginning on October 28.

The defendants fought this idea and argued that jurors might confuse evidence that involves the plaintiffs. The judge wasn’t persuaded that juries would not be able to successfully juggle evidence involving two separate plaintiffs and found that the issue could be managed without the jury being confused.

The two plaintiffs have already settled claims with TikTok.

Prior Updates

Can You Sue Social Media Companies for Addiction?

Yes, lawsuits allege that companies like Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap intentionally designed addictive platforms that harm young users. These cases focus on failure to warn, negligent design, and prioritizing engagement over safety.

Who Qualifies for a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?

You may qualify if:

• Your child (or you) used social media platforms extensively
• You experienced diagnosed or documented mental health harm
• The harm occurred during adolescence or young adulthood
• There is a link between platform use and psychological effects

What Conditions or Symptoms Qualify?

• Anxiety disorder
• ADHD
• Eating disorder
• Body dysmorphia
• Sleep problems or disturbances
• Depression
• Suicide attempt
• Suicide
• Suicidal ideation or thoughts
• Sexual exploitation as a minor
• Cyberbullying
• Self-harm or cutting

Even if you’re unsure if you qualify, our attorneys can evaluate your case at no cost.

Which Social Media Platforms Are Being Sued?

The defendants in these lawsuits include Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Snap (Snapchat), ByteDance (TikTok), and Google (YouTube).

Why Are People Filing Social Media Lawsuits?

The growing evidence of the detrimental effects of social media platforms on teen mental health is leading to an increase in lawsuits against social media.

A significant factor driving these legal actions is the shift in social media usage among teens. A 2022 survey by Pew Research revealed that Instagram’s usage among teens saw an increase from 52 percent to 62 percent from 2014 to 2022.

Additionally, the survey noted that 67 percent of U.S. teens were using the short-video app TikTok, and a remarkable 95 percent were on YouTube as of 2022.

Legal actions criticize companies like Meta for not safeguarding young users despite knowing these risks. The lawsuits seek to hold these companies accountable, demanding changes for youth protection and transparency about associated risks.

How Social Media Platforms Target Teens

Teenagers are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of social media because their brains are still developing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), critical biological, psychological, and social development occurs during a window of developmental sensitivity between ages 10 and 19 – a period when adolescents become highly sensitive to peer pressure, social comparison, and online feedback.

Social media companies, including Meta (Instagram and Facebook), design their platforms using advanced algorithms that personalize content to maximize engagement. For teens, this often means repeated exposure to unrealistic beauty standards, idealized lifestyles, and popularity metrics that can fuel anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, and other mental health issues.

Internal leaked documents from Meta revealed that the company knew its platforms were harming teenage users – especially young girls – by worsening body image, increasing social comparison, and contributing to eating disorders. Instagram’s aesthetics-focused environment, in particular, has been linked to disorders such as orthorexia and other forms of body dysmorphia.

These exploitative algorithmic practices have led to lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies for knowingly targeting teens despite the mental health risks.

Addicting Features of Social Media Design

Social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook often utilize design features which give them addictive qualities, such as ephemeral content, auto-play, read-receipts, push notifications, instant feedback, personalized reels and content recommendations, and endless scrolling. It’s alleged that features like these exploit the desires of young users’ desires and vulnerabilities, encouraging extended use.

Addictive features which social media platforms employ include:

• Personalization algorithms: Content is custom-tailored, based upon the preferences and interactions of individual users. This creates a feedback loop which presents material that is continuously engaging.
• Autoplay/infinite scroll: Users are able to view videos which auto-play, or scroll endlessly. Features like these continue to add content endlessly, and this makes it difficult to stop interaction. For young people, especially, this may interplay with impulsivity, which makes it even harder to stop using platforms.
• Reels: Platforms employ algorithms which deliver nonstop streams of short videos which capture as well as retain attention. This is especially effective regarding those with short attention spans.
• Ephemeral content: Features such as content which disappears after a period of 24 hours (such as Snapchat Stories) lead to a fear of missing out which prompts urgent consumption.
• Push notifications: Push notifications serve as triggers which prompt immediate user responses. Social rewards such as comments and likes then reinforce this.

Algorithms Can Be Dangerous – What The Evidence Shows

Facebook and Instagram, key players in social media, use advanced algorithms to target teenagers with highly customized content. These platforms, overseen by Meta, focus on maintaining teen engagement, often at the cost of their mental health. 

1. Facebook’s Awareness of Instagram’s Impact – Internal reports from Facebook, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, revealed that since at least March 2020, officials at Facebook were aware that Instagram could make teenagers feel worse about their bodies.
2. Social Media’s Harmful Effects on Teen Mental Health – Research from universities like Harvard and Northeastern University highlights the negative impacts of social media on mental health. 
3. Critique of Instagram’s Approach and Business Model – People criticize Instagram for claiming its platform merely reflects users’ interests and experiences without manipulation. Experts argue that Instagram’s business model manipulates user behavior to boost engagement and increase screen time.

These findings highlight the complexity of social media’s impact on youth mental health and the need for a critical examination of the design and operation of platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

What Are The Mental Health Impacts of Social Media Addiction?

Social media’s impact on mental health is multifaceted, with research indicating both positive and negative effects. For teens who are still forming their identities, social media can provide a sense of community and support. However, the negative impacts are significant and varied, often outweighing the potential benefits.

Depressive Symptoms

Three or more hours of social media use increases the risk for mental health problems among adolescents, including anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality.

Social comparison and feedback-seeking, both linked to depressive symptoms, often drive the mechanism of harm.

Emotional Wellbeing

Research has demonstrated that how people use social media is critical to its impact on their mental health. Passive use – viewing photos on someone else’s account without interacting, for example – can lead to declines in life satisfaction.

It isn’t healthy when youngsters compare themselves to others on social platforms. This can spur feelings of envy, leading to a cycle of depression and anxiety.

Body Image and Self-Esteem

Social media, especially platforms like Instagram focusing on body image, can reduce body satisfaction and self-esteem, particularly among young women. This dissatisfaction can manifest in harmful conditions such as eating disorders. About 88% of individuals engage in social comparison on Facebook. This behavior is linked to lower self-esteem, loneliness and depression.

Cyberbullying and Behavioral Risks

Social media platforms are also venues for cyberbullying, which can lead to severe psychological distress. According to a 2022 study from Pew Research, 46% of teens have experienced cyberbullying in some form.

Social Media and Suicide Lawsuits

There are numerous ways in which social media might contribute to young people exhibiting suicidal behavior. Ways that social media may contribute to suicidal ideation include:

1. Suicidal content: Vulnerable individuals can be influenced by exposure to images, videos or posts which glorify or discuss suicide, especially when the individuals already struggle with their mental health.
2. Harassment and cyberbullying: Persistent online harassment or cyberbullying can cause feelings of hopelessness, depression and isolation, especially among young adults and adolescents, and this can lead to suicidal behaviors and thoughts. It doesn’t seem like social media platforms do much about this.
3. Isolation: Spending too much time on social media can cause a decrease in in-person interactions as well as a sense of isolation, and this is known to increase the risk of suicide or depression.
4. Low self-esteem and social comparison: Being constantly exposed to idealized depictions of the lives of others can cause feelings of inadequacy, a decrease in self-esteem and negative self-comparison, and this may lead to suicidal thoughts and depressive symptoms.
5. Disruption of sleep: Overusing social media, particularly before bed, can lead to a disruption of sleep patterns. Many mental health issues are linked with poor sleep, including a higher risk of suicidal thoughts or depression.
6. Echo chambers: Interacting with online communities which promote harmful behavior such as suicidal ideation or self-harm may normalize behaviors like these and make vulnerable individuals think they are viable options.
7. Triggering content: Underlying problems with mental health can be exacerbated when users encounter triggering content which relates to sensitive topics such as self-harm or trauma.

Call us today for a free consultation if your loved one committed suicide due to a social media addiction.

What Are The Signs of Social Media Addiction?

When things reach the point where your child seems compulsive regarding their use of the internet, it may be a sign that they are addicted to social media. Be aware that using social media doesn’t mean you’re addicted.

Behavioral and Emotional Signs

• Increased anxiety
• Feeling guilty when they don’t respond to posts or messages
• Inability to disconnect from social media
• Prioritizing their online image over real-life relationships
• Becoming depressed or irritable when not using social media
• Hiding or lying about how much time they spend online
• Neglecting schoolwork, chores, or responsibilities
• Withdrawing from family or friends to spend more time online
• Angry or defensive reactions when confronted about their usage
• Agitation or restlessness when access to social media is restricted

Physical Signs

• Persistent back or neck pain
• Frequent headaches
• Carpal tunnel syndrome or wrist discomfort
• Weight gain or loss
• Difficulty sleeping or disrupted sleep patterns

What Do I Do if My Child Has a Social Media Addiction?

If your child has a social media addiction, what is most important is to get them help and proactively take steps in order to prevent what is possible to prevent and monitor the issue.

Recommendations:

• Monitor all of the accounts of your child use
• Set boundaries regarding how they use and how long they use social media
• Schedule time for your child to talk to a counselor or therapist
• Encourage your child to socially interact in-person

If your child has suffered psychological or physical harm due to social media addiction, you may be able to file a claim and recover damages for your child’s social media addiction.

Tips to Protect Your Child From Online Harm

To guide your child in navigating social media responsibly practice the following tips:

• Educate them: Openly discuss social media challenges, such as social comparison pressures, cyberbullying and anxiety.
• Encourage in-person hobbies: Encouraging real-life socializing and physical activities is essential for developing social skills and emotional health.
• Be a role model: Demonstrate balanced social media usage, highlighting the importance of integrating online and offline experiences.
• Set Screen Time Limits: Set firm screen time guidelines to prevent excessive use and ensure it doesn’t disrupt sleep, studies, or family interactions.
• Use parental controls: Utilize parental controls to oversee usage and shield your child from unsuitable content.

How Much Money Is My Case Worth?

Every case is unique and the value of your case can be impacted by specific factors. Depending upon your case’s facts, you might qualify for non-economic damages and economic damages.

Damages you may qualify for include financial compensation for:

• Lost income
• Future and past mental and medical treatment
• Loss of the enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress

Updates

August 26, 2026 Update

Facebook and Instagram’s parent company will pay 29 states as much as $17 billion in order to resolve claims that they intentionally tried to foster addiction to social media in United States children.

The original lawsuit got filed in October 2023 by states’ attorneys general. It alleged that Meta utilized intrusive algorithms in order to “entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens.”

The lawsuit alleged that Meta misled the public regarding its platforms’ safety and ignored evidence that the use of social media was leading to young people developing mental health problems.

According to Meta, numerous states, including New Mexico, Kentucky, Colorado and California, had asked for as much as $1.4 trillion worth of damages over alleged harms that Instagram and Facebook caused young users to suffer.

The settlement will initially involve Meta paying states $12.19 billion, which will be increased to $17.1 billion if these states can convince the owners of other platforms, such as YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, to agree with the settlement.

Meta has also agreed that it will restrict minors to two-hour time limits, add nighttime restrictions and add content filters and parental controls that are more robust.

The two-hour time limit will get reduced to a single hour per day if the deal is signed onto by other social media companies. No minor under age 18 would be able to use Instagram or Facebook between midnight and 6 AM.

The deal would also involve a ban regarding how many “likes” minors’ posts receive, restrictions on minors’ use of cosmetic filters, options regarding non-personalized feeds, and multiple other safety measures.

August 13, 2026 Update

The primary defense playbook of Meta has just been torched by federal appellate judges.

An opinion for the Ninth Circuit written by Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen found that the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 does not provide any procedural immunity against having to face a jury trial.

Meta, Bytedance, Alphabet and Snap had attempted to reframe Section 230 as providing immunity from lawsuits rather than simply a defense against liability, requesting an emergency stay in the social media addiction litigation.

However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that Section 230 provides a defense against liability rather than an immunity from facing a lawsuit.

As a result, Oakland trial proceedings remain on schedule. Jury selection began on August 12 and opening statements are set for August 18.

Meta is facing a lawsuit filed by the states of New Jersey, Kentucky, Colorado and California in the Oakland trial. The lawsuit alleges that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to cause children to become addicted, hiding what it knew about this. The lawsuit also alleges that Meta regularly collects data on kids under the age of 13 without the consent of their parents, violating federal law.

August 5, 2026 Update

Eight plaintiffs, including the family of a teenager who committed suicide, filed a social media lawsuit on July 28 in California against the owners of Snapchat, Discord, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. The lawsuit claims that these websites were intentionally designed to profit by exploiting the mental health of children.

The lawsuit names the following defendants:

• Roblox Corporation
• Discord Inc.
• YouTube LLC
• Google LLC
• Tiktok Inc.
• Tiktok LLC
• Tiktok Ltd.
• Bytedance Inc.
• Bytedance Ltd.
• Snap Inc.
• Facebook Operations LLC
• Siculus Inc.
• Facebook Payments Inc.
• Instagram LLC
• Meta Platforms Inc.

The lawsuit alleges the defendants intentionally and knowingly put products that were destructive and dangerous for children on the market, used powerful algorithms in order to collect private data, and used that data to foster addiction to social media. It alleges they used features like endless scrolling and notifications to keep young people returning to the apps repeatedly.

The defendants are facing around 3,000 social media addiction lawsuits which allege their platforms’ addictive designs can cause young people to experience depression, anxiety, lower academic performance, eating disorders, suicide, self-harm and behavioral problems.

One of the plaintiffs is representing a boy who allegedly developed a social media addiction which led to depression and suicide. The boy’s mother claims that algorithms on sites such as Instagram detected her child was viewing content about suicide and depression and, rather than recommending help, started referring him to additional content about suicide. She only discovered this after scrolling through her son’s phone.

She allegedly scrolled, finding recommendations and advertisements pushing suicidality, depression and self-harm quotes, including messages conveying that the boy was worthless and that it was time for him to cease existing.

The boy committed suicide on November 9, 2025, and his mother said she checked his phone less than two months after he died and found that it had received 426 YouTube notifications. She noted that, in a single day, the phone had received 37 Facebook notifications, six from Snapchat, three from YouTube and three from Instagram.

July 11, 2026 Update

Meta has requested that a federal judge reject a calculation which was proposed by numerous states that could expose Meta to $1.4 trillion worth of civil penalties over allegedly intentionally designing its platforms to cause children to develop addiction, leading to severe mental health side effects.

Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, is one of many social media companies that are facing around 3,000 lawsuits over their platforms’ alleged impact on young people. The lawsuits have been filed by young people and their families, state attorneys general attempting to enforce consumer protection laws, and school districts who are looking to recover costs associated with behavioral and mental health problems in students.

The lawsuits filed by states claim that the companies’ addictive algorithms and designs have cost them millions of dollars worth of expenses including school funding to address a mental health crisis.

July 6 saw Meta submit a request that indicates that New Mexico, Kentucky, Colorado and California have asked Meta to pay $1.4 trillion worth of civil fines over allegedly harming young people. The requests asks a federal judge to reject the fines’ premise, arguing that fines need to be based on “wrongful conduct” and that the states are not asserting that wrongful conduct took place.

Meta is arguing that the proposed amount doesn’t have a basis in law or fact, asking the judge to strike the penalty calculations.

The request comes in advance of an August 12 trial which involves claims that were brought by four states.

A federal bellwether trial which will involve a traditional jury is currently scheduled to start on February 8, 2027.

July 6, 2026 Update

The judge overseeing the social media MDL has denied a final attempt by Meta to throw out a lawsuit which was brought by almost 30 state attorneys general.

The judge found that too many factual disputes exist for the case to get dismissed, such as questions regarding platform design, the company’s knowledge of the mental health risks to teens, and if the company misrepresented these risks. The judge also found that the company didn’t satisfy the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act’s parental notice requirements.

It has been reported that TikTok is finalizing a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a plaintiff who is a minor. This will allow TikTok to avoid a jury trial in July 2026 in Los Angeles. This case claims that social media platforms have been intentionally designed to cause minors to become addicted to them, leading to mental health harm. The same plaintiff already settled with Youtube in June. This leaves Snap and Meta as the only remaining defendants.

This settlement comes as YouTube, Snap, Meta and TikTok are facing over 3,000 lawsuits from families and users claiming their platforms are harmful and addictive.

Pressure on these companies increased when an April trial ended with a jury finding Google and Meta liable for mental health injuries, awarding $6 million to the plaintiff.

TikTok deciding to settle prior to trial is telling us that social media companies are growing increasingly reluctant to allow addiction cases to see juries.

July 1, 2026 Update

Meta, who owns Instagram and Facebook, is attempting to convince lawmakers to give the social media industry immunity from damages regarding issues linked to their social media platforms.

Over 2,500 youth social media addiction lawsuits have been filed against major social media companies like Google, Meta, Snapchat and TikTok. The lawsuits allege that the companies intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive, leading to mental health, educational and development problems in young people.

According to Reuters, Meta has started lobbying members of Congress, asking them to put language in pending legislation which could bar future lawsuits over social media addiction.

The proposed language would give social media companies immunity to liability for violations of state laws that involve minors’ privacy and child safety.

Officials with Meta indicated that this immunity, if given, wouldn’t affect lawsuits the company is already facing.

March 25, 2026 Update

A Los Angeles jury has found Google and Meta liable in a landmark trial which accused social media companies of intentionally designing platforms to foster addiction in young users, awarding $3 million to the plaintiff.

Meta has been ordered to pay 70 percent of the compensatory damages and Google will be responsible for the rest.

The jury found that Meta and Google acted with fraud, oppression or malice, meaning punitive damages will also be awarded. A hearing will occur where every party will have 20 minutes to speak so punitive damages can be assessed.

The case involved a California woman who is now 20 years old. She claimed social media companies encouraged her social media addiction when she was underage and contributed to suicidal thoughts and depression.

The lawsuit alleged that social media companies designed platforms in ways which encouraged young people to compulsively use them.

Snap and TikTok were originally defendants in the lawsuit, but settled out of court, leaving Meta and Google as the only defendants.

The woman alleged she started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9 and used social media “all day long” when she was a child.

Her attorneys noted design features they claimed were designed to foster addictions in young people, like feeds’ infinite nature which allowed for endless content, notifications and autoplay features.

The closely watched trial was one of the first testing if social media companies can be held liable for alleged harms linked with young people using their platforms.

The jury was asked to determine if Meta or Google should have known their social media platforms were dangerous to children, if they negligently designed their products, and if their services substantially caused the plaintiff to develop mental health issues.

January 22, 2026 Update

Snap, on January 20, agreed to settle a social media addiction lawsuit just days before a bellwether trial involving claims that the company engineered its products to addict young users.

The settled lawsuit involved claims by a 19-year-old plaintiff that the design features of Snapchat contributed to mental health harms stemming from addictive use.

The settlement avoided Snap’s CEO having to testify.

Financial details regarding the settlement were not announced.

The settlement is an indication that social media companies consider the allegations in social media addiction lawsuits to be likely to succeed in court and thus may be willing to settle more lawsuits in the future.

A major bellwether trial against Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet and Snap is set to start on January 27.

January 8, 2026 Update

State of Alabama Overcomes Hurdle Against ByteDance

The State of Alabama overcame a hurdle while trying to hold ByteDance liable for TikTok. The state had filed a lawsuit in April 2025 which alleged that the company lies about TikTok’s safety and exploits children by causing them to become addicted to the platform.

The company had filed a motion to dismiss, which sought to test how sufficient the legal claims made by the state were. This motion was denied, allowing Alabama’s claims of Deceptive Trade Practices Act violations, wantonness, and negligence to proceed.

The lawsuit claims that TikTok is engineered to cause minors to endlessly scroll, exposing them to content which promotes drug use, self-harm, eating disorders and depression in addition to viral “challenges” which are dangerous.

The lawsuit alleges that the platform’s safety measures, like “Restricted Mode” and “Kids Mode,” are easily bypassed and ineffective, and that this leaves children vulnerable to harm and exploitation while TikTok doesn’t do much to block adult material which is inappropriate.

Initial JCCP Bellwether Trial

JCCP plaintiffs have experienced numerous pre-trial victories. They are now approaching trial.

Almost all of the defense’s motions to exclude expert witnesses were denied, while several of the plaintiffs’ challenges to defense experts were granted. The defendants’ summary judgment motions were rejected.

The first JCCP bellwether trial is set for January 27.

The first bellwether trial involves a 20-year-old woman suing Google, Meta, Snap and ByteDance. She claims that design features of Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok led to her developing body dysmorphia, self-harm behaviors, depression and anxiety while she was an adolescent.

Numerous executives will testify in the trial, including Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and Snapchat’s CEO Evan Spiegel.

The Los Angeles JCCP currently contains over 3,200 cases which plaintiffs from 44 states have filed.

December 30, 2025 Update

Numerous state attorneys general have asked a federal judge to end up consolidating 29 social media addiction lawsuits which have been filed against Meta into one unified case.

The attorneys general, in a December 12 letter brief, stated that they are presenting a “unified case” consisting of a “single presentation of evidence” that Meta designed its platforms in a way that harmed the physical and mental health of children across the United States, to “illegally ensnare” users under 13 onto the platforms, and to “deceive the public” regarding the platforms’ true safety risks.

The letter is indicating that the states have always intended to pursue this litigation as one unified claim, indicating that the same harmful, addictive social media features and services are offered by Meta to children around the country. The letter notes that the states plan on presenting unified evidence as well as the same expert witnesses who aren’t specific to any particular state’s situation.

Meta has proposed handling the litigation via separate claims. The attorneys general argue this would lead to unnecessary, expensive trials.

December 15, 2025 Update

On December 3, a press release by the Governor and Attorney General of Hawaii announced that a lawsuit has been filed against TikTok’s makers.

The lawsuit alleges that the company intentionally engineered its app to cause children to become addicted to it, leading to a risk of them developing significant mental health issues, in order to increase the company’s profits.

The Governor stated that the design of TikTok preys on the vulnerabilities of children, leading to an environment where anxiety and addiction thrive.

The lawsuit alleges that the company has failed to maintain adequate child protection and age verification systems.

Officials are claiming that TikTok ends up encouraging young people to behave in risky ways, such as engaging in “challenges” which might physically put them at risk of harm.

November 6, 2025 Update

The judge presiding over the federal social media addiction litigation has indicated that the initial bellwether trial will probably start in summer 2026 in Oakland, CA.

The lawsuit involves allegations against major companies such as Google and Meta.

Google, Meta and additional social media companies are currently facing over 2,100 lawsuits in a federal MDL. The lawsuits claim that their platforms were intentionally designed to maximize engagement of users through algorithms which lead to compulsive use in teens and children, leading to mental health issues.

October 23, 2025 Update

A highly anticipated social media trial in California state court has been delayed.

The trial has been closely watched since it will help to gauge how juries might respond to testimony and evidence which could be repeated during other social media lawsuits being pursued against Meta, Google and other platforms.

The delay has been deemed necessary by the judge and parties after the plaintiff has made new allegations related to sexual assault and predation.

These allegations require additional discovery, and will likely require new motions to be filed.

The trial has now been rescheduled for June 8, 2026.

Jury selection will now occur in the first bellwether trial on January 27, 2026, and a second trial is scheduled for April 13, 2026.

October 3, 2025 Update

A new report is accusing Instagram of intentionally designing features which endanger minors.

The report states that almost two-thirds of its safety tools for teens don’t work, leaving kids vulnerable to abuse and harmful content.

The report states that most of the platform’s safety tools are easy to bypass, discontinued or broken.

47 safety features were tested, and researchers found that 64 percent of them were ineffective, 19 percent of them had serious limitations, and only 17 percent worked as advertised.

The researchers found that teen accounts were able to access eating disorder, self-harm and suicide content, and that the platform’s autocomplete suggested search terms directing teenagers to material that is harmful.

Even when the safety settings were set to the strictest level, test accounts received recommendations for body-image posts, violent videos and sexual content.

According to the report, the platform’s algorithm encouraged kids under the age of 13 to post content that is sexualized for views and likes. Some posts, which were uploaded by kids as young as six, ended up drawing views in the five digit range as well as predatory comments from adults.

The researchers found that adults could contact teens who didn’t follow them, and that minors were rewarded for enabling disappearing messages. Critics say that predators exploit disappearing messages because they make it harder to report abuse.

The researchers found that the “Take a Break” feature was discontinued, and that the “Nighttime Nudges” feature didn’t activate.

The researchers found that changing notification settings involved 10 different screens and 50 different toggles.

The researchers found that families were misled by parental controls which showed them sanitized activity summaries and concealed that self-harm, sexual and violent content was being shown to children.

September 5, 2025 Update

It has been signaled by a federal judge that claims made by school districts will be the first to see trials in the social media litigation.

The lawsuits allege that social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are designed intentionally to cause young users to become addicted to them.

The schools have filed lawsuits seeking to recover costs of dealing with a mental health crisis in youth allegedly caused by social media.

The schools claim they’ve needed to spend money on expanding special education support, crisis intervention programs and counseling services in response to increased mental health issues in students.

August 28, 2025 Update

The State of Minnesota has sued TikTok, alleging that TikTok’s algorithms cause teens to excessively use the platform, harming their mental health.

There are over 100 million active users of TikTok in the United States. Many of them are age 16 to 24.

The lawsuit alleges that TikTok violates Minnesota’s consumer protection laws.

According to Minnesota’s Attorney General, almost every smartphone user in the United States between age 13 and age 17 has downloaded TikTok, and almost one quarter of them use TikTok for over three hours per day.

The Attorney General has argued that the platform exploits brain regions which are underdeveloped and are connected to attention-seeking and risk-taking, intentionally manipulating young people in order to harvest data.

The Attorney General has argued that the platform’s design creates a feedback use which resembles addiction, trapping the attention of young people and making it hard to control their usage of the app.

The lawsuit alleges that the platform causes reduced physical activity, sleep deprivation and poor mental health.

The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok LIVE as well as its virtual currency exposes young people to financial and sexual exploitation, with TikTok ignoring risks to maximize its profit.

The lawsuit points out that TikTok has failed to enforce its age restrictions regarding “elite” creators of content who it deems valuable.

The lawsuit accuses TikTok of misleading the public about its platform’s safety and downplaying dangers that the platform poses to young people.

July 14, 2025 Update

A lawsuit was filed in Utah on June 30 by the state of Utah against Snap Inc., Snapchat’s maker. The lawsuit alleges that Snapchat is designed to cause children to get addicted to it via manipulation, exposes children to unsafe AI, and harvests the personal data of children without adequate safeguards.

Snapchat is known for disappearing messages, videos and photos, as well as stories, filters, Snapstreaks and “My AI,” an AI chatbot.

Officials in Utah allege that these features exploit young users’ developmental vulnerabilities in order to maximize engagement at the cost of their physical and mental well-being.

The lawsuit alleges that Snapstreaks, algorithm-driven content, push notifications and ephemeral messaging lead to a fear of missing out and encourage compulsive use, leading to children spending too much time on Snapchat, especially late at night.

Officials claim that My AI further amplifies these tactics.

The lawsuit alleges that the AI chatbot has given underage accounts inappropriate responses, including advising a 15-year-old on how to hide the use of drugs. Internal testing found that the chatbot provided teenage users with sexualized advice.

The lawsuit alleges that Snap didn’t adequately test My AI before launching it, and that Snap is misleading users regarding its risks. Utah is also claiming that the chatbot collects behavioral data even when certain privacy settings are enabled, potentially violating consumer privacy laws.

The lawsuit alleges that Snap uses interface tricks which make it hard for users to understand the data that’s being collected or disable My AI.

The lawsuit also highlights concerns about the platform’s role in the facilitation of illegal activity and child exploitation. Utah investigators cite numerous cases where predators have used Snapchat to find and groom children.

Officials are also scrutinizing the platform’s recommendation algorithms and beauty filters, saying the features can promote negative body images and lead to addictive scrolling which has been linked with suicidal ideation, body dysmorphia, depression, sleep disruption and anxiety.

July 6, 2025 Update

A Florida family filed a social media lawsuit on July 2 alleging that their son died due to exposure to TikTok, Snap and Meta platforms.

The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff’s use of TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram caused him to develop addiction, self-harm behaviors, anxiety and depression, and eventually commit suicide.

June 18, 2025 Update

A new report by KidsRights suggests that increased social media and internet use may be linked with increased suicide attempts in those under 19 years old.

The report indicates that 14 percent of those between age 10 and age 19 currently suffer from mental health issues.

The report indicates that problematic social media use in those aged 11, 13 and 15 ended up increasing from seven percent to 11 percent in 44 countries from 2018 to 2022.

The report notes a suicide rate of six out of every 100,000 people between ages 15 and 19.

The report calls for immediate action, such as:

• Comprehensively assessing all digital services and social media platforms for impacts on the rights of children
• Mandatory systems for age verification to protect children
• Specialized services for support tailored to the mental health challenges of the digital age
• Educational opportunities for the building of digital literacy and emotional resilience
• Healthcare professionals’ training to help them to address technology-related mental health issues better

Over 1,800 social media lawsuits are currently pending in a federal MDL.

May 26, 2025 Update

On May 15, a lawsuit was filed against Snap Inc. and Meta Platforms, Inc. by an Ohio family who alleges that a teenager’s use of Snapchat and Instagram led to serious mental health problems.

The lawsuit alleges the teen developed self-harming behaviors, anxiety, depression and compulsive use of social media. The lawsuit is seeking compensation based on the following causes of action:

• Strict liability: design defect
• Strict liability: failure to warn
• Negligent product design
• Negligent warning
• Negligent misrepresentation
• Negligent concealment
• Violations of consumer protection laws
• Violations of Ohio’s unfair trade practices

April 13, 2025 Update

The first bellwether trial in the social media JCCP has been set for November 25, 2025. It will be the first trial in the nation in the personal injury litigation filed against defendants Youtube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

The plaintiffs allege that they were injured because the defendants intentionally designed platforms to addict young users and fail to warn young users about harm risks. Injuries alleged by the plaintiffs include depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, sleep disorders, body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

Over 2,500 cases have been filed in the JCCP by plaintiffs from 44 total states, and the defendants are facing 500 more cases in the MDL.

April 6, 2025 Update

A new study found that many teens and children who suffer from suicidal thoughts and depression also self-report the overuse of social media.

The study involved 489 participants ranging from age 8 to age 20. Every youth surveyed was receiving treatment for suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation or depression.

40.3 percent of the participants reported “problematic social media use,” defined as feeling disappointment and discontent when they weren’t using social media, but may also involve longer screen time amounts.

The study found that those with problematic social media use had more suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depressive symptoms.

March 17, 2025 Update

A lawsuit has been filed by an Illinois parent against Google, Snap, TikTok and Meta, claiming that the social media platforms severely harmed their child.

The complaint alleges that the teen developed compulsive, addiction-like use of the platforms which led to serious mental health issues. The complaint states the child ended up suffering from attempted suicide, cutting, anxiety, depression and anorexia.

The family is alleging that the platforms’ engagement-driven designs and algorithms led to excessive use which exacerbated the mental health crisis that the teen suffered.

In other news, a ruling has allowed wrongful death and negligence claims against social media platforms to proceed.

Wrongful death claims under Wyoming, Virginia, Florida and Indiana laws have been allowed to move forward.

The court ruled that public policy is supportive of a duty of care being imposed on social media platforms in order to prevent fostering addiction and compulsive use among young people due to the known physical and mental health consequences.

March 5, 2025 Update

A lawsuit was filed on February 26 by a Kansas family, alleging that numerous social media platforms harmed their child. Google, Snap, TikTok and Meta have been named as defendants.

The complaint alleges that the child developed compulsive use of the platforms beginning in 2019, and that this led to serious mental health issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, anxiety and depression. The lawsuit alleges that the platform’s product designs and algorithms were manipulative, and intentionally so, leading to excessive engagement as well as failing to adequately warn about risks.

In other news, 212 cases were added to the social media MDL in February, bringing the total number of pending cases up to 1,464.

November 21, 2024 Update

It has been determined by a federal judge that the owners of social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Facebook need to face claims which public school systems have brought alleging that the platforms are public nuisances because of algorithms and designs which cause youths to become addicted to them.

Over 600 lawsuits have been filed against social media companies alleging that their platforms were designed intentionally to maximize and manipulate user engagement in order to intentionally cause young users to become addicted to them. The lawsuits alleges this has led to long-term psychological damages such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety and destructive behavior.

The platforms had earlier argued that state level legal precedents bar public nuisance claims which don’t demonstrate direct causal links between platforms and consumers.

This argument was rejected by a November 15 court order which noted that it only applied to the laws in a handful of states. Public nuisance in these states were dismissed, but the majority of claims will now move forward.

November 6, 2024 Update

The judge overseeing the social media MDL rejected an attempt by the owners of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to dismiss claims which have been brought by school districts around the country. The claims seek damages which stem from mental health issues in students.

The lawsuits allege that social media platforms were purposefully designed to manipulate users and maximize user engagement in order to get teens addicted to the apps.

The lawsuits allege that this has led to widespread addiction among teens, leading to psychological damage, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.

School districts are seeking reimbursement for the costs of establishing mental health programs and other measures such as mobile crisis units.

Hundreds of lawsuits have also been filed by the families of children who have been injured by social media addiction.

Social media platforms had previously filed a motion in order to dismiss the school districts’ lawsuits. The motion argued that the school districts’ costs were too remote from the platforms’ actions.

The judge, on October 24, rejected the motion. The judge found that negligence causes of action will be allowed to move forward.

The judge found that the school districts’ costs are “a sufficiently direct and foreseeable consequence” of the social media companies deliberately designing their platforms to get users addicted to them.

October 21, 2024 Update

A judge in Massachusetts has rejection Meta’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit which was brought by the state’s Attorney General. The lawsuit claims Meta intentionally makes sure its platforms foster social media addictions in teens and children which are psychologically damaging.

The complaint was filed in October 2023 and alleges that Instagram is a public nuisance which violates consumer protection laws in the state.

The state court lawsuit is just one of numerous similar lawsuits which Attorneys General around the nation have filed against different internet platforms. The lawsuits allege that social media interfaces and algorithms are designed to cause underage users to become addicted to the platforms.

Over 600 social media lawsuits are pending in federal court which allege that social media platforms like ByteDance Inc., TikTok Inc., Snap Inc., YouTube LLC, Google LLC, Alphabet Inc. and Meta have placed profits over the safety and health of America’s youth.

The lawsuits allege that the platforms have been explicitly designed to maximize and manipulate user engagement time in order to get teens addicted to social media. The lawsuits allege this has led to long-term psychological damage, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.

Meta had filed a motion to get the case dismissed. This motion argued that a proper claim hadn’t been filed by the state, arguing Meta isn’t responsible for any content which its third-party users create.

However, the judge rejected these arguments, denying the motion. The judge indicated that the claims by the state were aimed at Meta’s activities as well as Instagram’s design, not at third-party users’ activities.

October 3, 2024 Update

September saw 10 cases added to the social media MDL, which now involves 594 pending cases.

September 18, 2024 Update

Instagram has announced that it will, by default, make teens’ accounts private. This is in order to address concerns about the impact of social media on kids, especially regarding addiction to social media and the role the platform has in exposing kids to content which is harmful.

We believe this change is due to the lawsuits which accuse Meta as well as other platforms of fueling a mental health crisis in youth by intentionally making their platforms addictive, encouraging teens to use them excessively, leading to serious mental health problems.

Beginning this week in the United States as well as Australia, Canada and the U.K., new users of Instagram who are under the age of 18 will see their accounts get set to private automatically. Existing accounts of teens will get transitioned to settings which are more restrictive within two months. The settings will restrict access to content which is sensitive as well as limit those who are able to contact teen users.

This will certainly help, but it doesn’t do enough to combat the design of Instagram, which is built to cause young users become addicted to the platform. These changes won’t fully address long-term damage which social media addiction causes. It’s important to reduce nighttime notifications and restrict messaging. However, Instagram still lets teens bypass any warnings and keep using the platform beyond time limits which are recommended.

We hope we’re wrong. However, we predict the changes won’t do a lot to alter the business model of Instagram, which heavily relies on making sure that users, especially teens, are engaged as much as possible.

September 4, 2024 Update

Horry County Schools, a school district in South Carolina, joined a nationwide lawsuit on Friday which seeks to hold social media companies accountable for their alleged role in a mental health crisis being experienced by America’s youth.

The lawsuit names Youtube, Google, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Meta as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that the social media companies violated consumer protection laws in numerous ways, such as by collecting minors’ data without the consent of parents in order to create marketing campaigns which are targeted.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said that features like instant new content alerts and infinite scrolling are designed to addict young users and keep them using the platforms. Wilson claims Meta was aware that addictive features like these harm the mental and physical health of young users but failed to warn about this risk or make changes to minimize this risk.

September 2, 2024 Update

A lawsuit filed by a mother whose 10-year-old girl died after participation in a TikTok challenge has been reviewed by a United States appeals court. The review has challenged protections given to social media companies provided by the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230.

The challenge involved encouraging TikTok users to choke themselves to the point of losing consciousness. The lawsuit involves a girl who, taking part in this challenge, accidentally hung herself. The lawsuit blames TikTok for not protecting the child from being exposed to the challenge.

The lawsuit claims that the TikTok algorithm shouldn’t have recommended the child the challenge. While a lower court initially dismissed the case due to Section 230 protections, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has reinstated the case.

Judge Patty Shwartz has decided that the TikTok algorithm should end up being considered editorial content. The judge has drawn a distinction between the passive hosting of third-party content and the active promotion of content through algorithms that recommend content in order to make sure users are kept engaged.

The Supreme Court has recently ruled that social media algorithms can be considered to be “editorial judgments,” meaning social media companies could be held financially liable when their systems recommend harmful content to social media users.

The ruling by the appeals court could have significant consequences for social media companies. The ruling, if it is upheld, suggests that social media companies can be held liable for content which their platforms’ algorithms recommend to their users, even when the content is created by third party creators.

The case was resubmitted to a lower court, and now TikTok will need to defend itself against claims without Section 230’s protection. This could lead to more details being revealed about how the company’s recommendation algorithm works and decides what content to recommend to users, especially minors.

August 14, 2024 Update

A New York minor has filed a lawsuit against Meta, seeking class-action status. The lawsuit alleges that Meta looked to keep teen users hooked on its platform Instagram while it knowingly exposed teens to content which is harmful.

The lawsuit argues the company added features that its leaders were aware would cause teens to get addicted to Instagram, like displaying counts regarding the number of “likes” which posts get, even while internal evidence mounted showing this could harm the mental health of teens.

The 13-year-old girl seeks $5 billion worth of damages which would be shared amongst eligible users of Instagram should the suit be certified.

Court filings alleges the teen had lower grades, depression and anxiety due to Instagram usage.

The lawsuit is one of only a few private lawsuits against social media companies which seek class-action status to compensate for mental health issues in minors since it was exposed by a whistleblower in 2021 that internal research by Meta showed that teens’ body image issues were worsened by Instagram.

The lawsuit adds to an increasing number of lawsuits against Meta from school districts and state attorneys general which aim to tie a mental health crisis in America’s teens to social media. It is argued by the lawsuits that consumer protection laws were violated by Meta, who deployed manipulative features in order to tempt teens to continue using its platforms to boost profits, even though executives with the company knew that the platforms harmed teens.

Some of Instagram’s features were allegedly designed to cause young users to get addicted to the platform, such as ephemeral photo and video posts called “stories,” displayed counts of “likes” which encourage the platform’s users to keep track of the number of people who like their posts, as well as app notifications which alert young users of new content.

The lawsuit claims the plaintiff developed thoughts regarding her appearance and body which are self-deprecating since she started using Instagram, and alleges she can’t stop using the platform while with family, checking the site often to ensure she won’t miss ephemeral content her friends post. The lawsuit claims her school grades have been harmed because she developed depression and anxiety due to worries that she’s being ignored by her friends when they fail to engage with or like her stories.

July 31, 2024 Update

Utah’s Jordan School District was named lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against social media companies regarding alleged harm done to young people.

Numerous school districts have filed lawsuits against the owners of Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram, alleging they are “negligent” and a “public nuisance” in harming young users’ mental health.

School district officials have claimed they have needed to spend millions of dollars on mental health services for students.

July 17, 2024 Update

A lawsuit has been filed in the social media addiction MDL naming Robolx Corp. as a defendant. This company owns a popular gaming platform known as Roblox. This isn’t a typical social media platform – it is instead a gaming platform which has elements of social media.

The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff, a 13-year-old girl, got addicted to Snapchat and Roblox, and that this addiction led to her becoming a victim of depression and sexual abuse.

In other news, a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in the MDL involving claims that a Missouri girl got addicted to TikTok and Snapchat at the age of 10 or 11, and that the addiction caused severe depression which led to her harming herself and eventually committing suicide at the age of 17.

July 2, 2024 Update

24 new cases were added to the social media addiction MDL in June, bringing the total number of cases to 499.

Cases keep coming in, such as a new social media lawsuit on July 1 involving a California woman who claims Snapchat and Instagram caused her to develop compulsive use, addiction, self-harm, anxiety and depression, including attempted suicide when the woman was a teenager.

In other news, in June, a front-page article was published in the New York Times covering how Meta failed children regarding safety. The prevailing opinions and cultural climate regarding social media are obviously in the favor of plaintiffs in the social media litigation. The media is priming juries to think that social media companies aren’t doing what they’re capable of in order to protect kids.

June 30, 2024 Update

Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s second largest school district, has voted to ban student use of smartphones during school hours. The vote comes as concerns grow regarding the effect of social media on the mental health of young people.

The school board voted 5 to 2 on the ban. The ban will be enforced during 2025’s spring semester and will impact almost 500,000 students.

Current smartphone restrictions in the district ban the use of smartphones during instruction in class, and limit the use of social media in school. The new rule bans smartphone use entirely during school hours.

June 23, 2024 Update

Attorneys involved in social media litigation met on Friday with the judge overseeing the social media addiction MDL in order to discuss claims families are pursuing throughout the country as well as the progress made in preparation for the initial bellwether trial in the litigation. The first bellwether trial is scheduled for October 25, 2025.

The lawsuits against social media companies such as Meta, Google and TikTok allege that social media companies intentionally design their platforms to maximize user engagement and time via manipulation, and that this has led to teen users experiencing self-destructive behavior, addiction, depression, anxiety, psychological damage, eating disorders, attempted suicides and actual suicides.

June 18, 2024 Update

The Surgeon General of the United States has called for social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to issue new warnings alerting users and parents about risks regarding mental health side effects that disproportionately impact adolescents and teens.

The Surgeon General, in an opinion piece in the New York Times, warned that a mental health crisis exists in young Americans, and that one significant contributor to this crisis is social media. He has called on Congress to provide him with the power to mandate a warning by the Surgeon General on every social media platform, just like the warnings required on tobacco products such as packs of cigarettes.

The Surgeon General noted that adolescents spending over three hours per day on social media have twice the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, and that the average person in this age group spent 4.8 hours per day on social media in 2023’s summer.

He noted that a recent survey of parents found that 76 percent of parents would monitor or limit the social media use of their children if a Surgeon General’s warning was placed on social media sites.

The warning comes as social media companies are facing lawsuits alleging their platforms are designed intentionally to manipulate youth and maximize their time using the platforms. The lawsuit allege the platforms are causing self-destructive behavior and addiction in teens, leading to psychological damage, eating disorders, anxiety and depression which has caused attempted and actual suicides.

The social media companies are accused of ignoring evidence about harmful consequences linked with their platforms, and are accused of refusing to do anything in order to prevent harm since doing something would impact their profits.

June 10, 2024 Update

A lawsuit filed by a Kentucky family alleges that the family’s daughter suffered from suicidality, self-harm, anxiety, depression, binge eating, bulimia and anorexia due to her use of YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

June 3, 2024 Update

The social media addiction MDL saw 20 new cases added to it in May, bringing the total number of cases to 475.

May 30, 2024 Update

An order has been issued by the MDL judge about bellwether actions in the social media MDL. This order requires defendants such as YouTube, TikTok, Snap and Meta to provide specific account data snapshots and fact sheets for specific bellwether plaintiffs. The fact sheets are regarding plaintiffs’ usage of platforms.

May 21, 2024 Update

A new lawsuit has been filed in the social media MDL. The 19-year-old plaintiff from South Carolina alleges she got addicted to TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram from 2018 through 2024, claiming the addiction led to her suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The lawsuit also claims this addiction directly caused her to be involved in a severe auto accident involving serious injuries.

May 7, 2024 Update

Attorneys who are suing TikTok in the U.S. claim that TikTok offers safety features in other countries which it does not offer in the United States, implying the social media platform could do more in order to protect young American users.

In a court filing last week, attorneys representing parents and their children claim that the differences between how the company operates in different countries are relevant to litigation.

However, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, refuses to share additional info regarding Douyin, China’s TikTok counterpart, with their lawyers claiming that “what happens overseas should stay overseas.”

Plaintiffs’ lawyers are claiming that the Chinese version of TikTok protects children in ways which the United States version does not.

However, ByteDance legal representatives claim that seeking information regarding how the app behaves outside of the United States isn’t relevant, and is simply a “discovery detour.”

ByteDance lawyers claim that services developed to be used in other countries are subject to different regulations and laws which reflect the different priorities and cultures of those countries.

TikTok is facing over 1,000 lawsuits, filed by parents, school districts and other parties, alleging that it uses algorithms to make sure young users are kept addicted to its platform, leading to young people struggling with depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and eating disorders.

May 6, 2024 Update

The County of Oakland, Michigan has filed a complaint in California court, suing Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google for negligence and public nuisance.

The lawsuit claims that the youth of Oakland suffer from suicidal ideation, depression, distraction and additional mental disorders due to overconsuming social media every day.

The lawsuit alleges that as a result, the county has needed to fund in-school mental health trainings and programming, family-based mental health services, mobile crisis units and mental health outpatient programs.

The allegations in the lawsuit mirror allegations being raised in separate lawsuits by parents, which claim that social media companies put profits ahead of young users’ mental health, don’t sufficiently moderate or monitor their platforms, design algorithms which prioritize profits over safety, and have ignored clear evidence that their behavior has harmful consequences.

In other news, 16 cases were added to the social media addiction MDL in April, bringing the total number of cases to 455.

April 30, 2024 Update

A judge in California is seemingly unconvinced by arguments by Meta for dismissing claims by the attorney generals of 34 states regarding the company’s social media platforms being addictive.

The judge stated that Meta hasn’t been transparent regarding the designs of its platforms and that it is plausible for the attorney generals of the states to obtain documentation regarding psychiatric treatment in order to demonstrate economic harm.

In other news, two dozen schools as well as districts in New York are joining federal litigation filed against social media companies which seeks changes to social media platforms in order to make the platforms less addictive. The lawsuits are seeking restitution for expenses incurred by schools and districts while dealing with students’ mental health issues.

The social media companies are being accused by the litigation of intentionally designing their platforms to addict young users by funneling specific types of content to students which encourages them to spend additional time on the platforms.

Over 900 school districts are involved in the litigation.

The lawsuits allege that social media companies have engaged in negligent and reckless misconduct leading to a youth mental health crisis.

April 21, 2024 Update

A lawsuit has been filed by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin which alleges that the companies who own Google, Youtube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, created a crisis in youth mental help through their social media apps, alleging the defendants targeted children, considering them a “core market,” intentionally causing children to become addicted to their platforms. The lawsuit claims the companies design social media apps to attract youth and cause them to become addicted to them, claiming the companies aren’t doing enough in order to protect children from their platforms’ harmful effects.

The lawsuit claims that suicide rates in tribal teens are as much as four times higher than the average in the United States.

A similar lawsuit has also been filed by North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Tribe.

April 16, 2024 Update

Some claims have been dismissed against Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, in 12 lawsuits which accuse him of hiding from the public that Instagram and Facebook are harmful to kids.

Plaintiffs had argued that Zuckerberg’s public stature, as well as his role as Meta’s “trusted voice,” meant that a duty existed under the laws of numerous states for him to speak truthfully and fully on the risks Meta’s products pose to kids.

A judge, however, said plaintiffs can’t rely upon Zuckerberg’s knowledge of Meta products in order to establish that he owes a duty to plaintiffs, stating that a ruling such of this would lead to any publicly recognizable figure having a duty to disclose.

The lawsuits themselves have not been dismissed and Meta remains a defendant.

April 9, 2024 Update

A lawsuit filed on March 29 in California alleges that a 15 year old boy committed suicide after being “sextorted” via a blackmail scheme on Facebook.

“Sextortion” is a type of coercion or blackmail where perpetrators threaten to distribute or release sensitive or explicit material of victims unless victims meet their demands, which can include additional sexual content or money.

The lawsuit alleges that South African scammers coerced the boy into sharing indecent and explicit photos by posing as a teenage girl, then demanded the boy pay $3,500 or they’d share the pictures.

The lawsuit accuses social media companies such as Meta of defectively and negligently designing their social media platforms in a way that poses possible harm to children.

March 17, 2024 Update

Chesterfield County Public Schools in Chesterfield County, Virginia has joined over 400 other school districts by filing a lawsuit against Youtube’s, Facebook’s, Instagram’s, Snapchat’s and TikTok’s owners, claiming content which is posted on the platforms has caused damage to the wellbeing and mental health of students, disrupting classroom environments in the process.

WRIC News reported that trends posted on social media have included a “devious lick challenge” encouraging students to perform theft at school, as well as an “outlet challenge” encouraging students to place coins between phone chargers and electrical outlets.

The lawsuit mentions a 2023 United States Surgeon General study claiming that 95% of teenagers between 13 and 17 years old say they use social media “almost constantly.”

March 11, 2024 Update

Durham Public Schools in Durham, North Carolina has joined 60 additional school boards in a lawsuit filed against social media companies such as Google, Snapchat and Meta. The lawsuit claims that the social media companies are having a negative impact upon students’ mental health. The school boards are seeking financial compensation in order to alleviate a strain on the schools’ resources.

In February, the lawsuit was joined by the board of education in North Carolina’s Wake County, stating they sought to push social media companies to protect minors’ well-being and health and end practices which harm and exploit students.

February 26, 2024 Update

A bill in Utah, HB464, would allow parents to sue the companies who run social media platforms. The bill would allow parents to file lawsuits when their children develop mental health issues as a result of using social media apps.

The bill would allow social media companies to exempt themselves from lawsuits if they can demonstrate to the court that they:

• Limit Utah minors from using their social media app for more than three hours per day
• Restrict Utah minors from using their social media app during the hours between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM
• Require parents or legal guardians to consent to Utah minors using their social media app
• Disable design elements which are engagement-driven for the social media accounts of Utah minors

In other news, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, has argued that he, as an individual, cannot be held liable for accusations that Meta’s platforms have caused children to become social media addicts.

Zuckerberg requested that he be personally dropped from two dozen lawsuits alleging that children have been harmed by the actions of Meta and himself. The lawsuits allege that Zuckerberg’s inaction and actions caused children to become addicted to social media, alleging that Zuckerberg has ignored warnings that Instagram and Facebook were unsafe for children.

Zuckerberg’s lawyers are arguing that individuals can’t be held liable for the omissions or acts of a corporation merely based upon their status as shareholders, directors or corporate executives.

Executives are usually shielded from individual liability in corporate law. However, exceptions to this exist. Executives can be held liable in situations involving criminal acts or noncompliance which is grossly negligent or intentional. Executives can also be held liable when third parties file lawsuits against CEOs over actions that the CEOs personally took.

February 19, 2024 Update

New York City, its public hospital system and its schools announced that a lawsuit has been filed against the tech companies running Youtube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, alleging that the “addictive and dangerous” platforms they run are fueling a mental health crisis in children which is draining resources and disrupting learning.

The lawsuit alleges that children are especially susceptible to being harmed by social media due to having brains which are not yet developed fully.

The lawsuit alleges that, because of social media platforms, the city’s school district has needed to respond to disruptions outside of and inside the classroom, give students counseling for depression and anxiety, and develop lessons about how to stay safe on the internet and social media’s effects.

The lawsuit alleges that teens are aware they spend too much time using social media but aren’t able to stop.

January 21, 2024 Update

Documents which were recently unredacted from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico against Meta demonstrate Meta’s “historical reluctance” to protect children on its social media platforms, according to the complaint. The attorney general for New Mexico sued Meta in December, alleging Meta didn’t protect young users from being exposed to child sex abuse material, allowing adults to solicit sexual imagery from them.

In passages from the lawsuit which were just unredacted, presentations and internal employee messages from 2020 and 2021 demonstrate Meta knew about issues like adult strangers contacting children on Instagram, dangers related to the platform’s “people you may know” feature which can recommend connections between children and adults, and that minors were being sexualized on the platform. However, the passages show that Meta delayed addressing these issues.

The complaint alleges that Meta reasoned it didn’t want to block relatives and parents from reaching out to younger relatives.

One excerpt from the lawsuit alleges that, in response to a question regarding what Meta was doing about child grooming, a Meta employee responded, “somewhere between zero and negligible. Child safety is an explicit non-goal this half.”

December 27, 2023 Update

Meta, as well as other social media companies, have been ordered by a United States District Court judge to face claims that their negligence led to young people developing social media addiction and being harmed. The judge ruled that the platforms have certain features like image filters which can be treated like products. Parents had argued that the image filters can harm the mental health of young users via promotion of unrealistic standards of beauty. The judge ruled that the filters are not protected by the First Amendment because they’re “neutral, non-expressive tools.”

33 states have sued Meta Platforms Inc., alleging that the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, delivered a personal rejection of a policy his company proposed to remove image filters from their social media platforms, filters which are known to damage mental health. The lawsuit also alleges that Meta conducts unlawful collection of the personal data of children under the age of 13, falsely claims that their platforms are safe, and puts a priority on keeping children addicted to the platform via algorithms, infinite scrolling, constant alerts and other methods.

Senator Katie Britt has proposed legislation to protect children from social media. The proposed legislation, known as the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, seeks to prohibit children under the age of 13 from using social media and stop platforms from using algorithms to recommend content to minors. The legislation includes bipartisan co-sponsors.

November 2023 Update

Firms and attorneys sought leadership roles in the MDL, emphasizing the necessity of an organized approach to represent school districts and local governments against tech companies. Court documents revealed that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shot down proposals to protect teenage mental health.

October 2023 Update

More than 40 states initiated legal action against Meta over social media harm to children and teens.

July 2023 Update

Signaling the growing involvement of public institutions, various school districts filed lawsuits, now transferred to the MDL, highlighting the widespread concern about social media’s impact on youth mental health.

March 2023 Update

The instructing party directed the defendants to file any motions to dismiss by April, thereby establishing a critical juncture to test the core arguments against the social media companies.

February 2023 Update

A pivotal moment arrived when the MDL judge approved a master complaint, consolidating the various allegations into a unified legal front.

January 2, 2023 Update

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated around 80 cases involving teen addiction to social media into a class action MDL in the Northern District of California.

October 2022 Update

The JMPL initiated the transfer order, consolidating 28 cases from 17 different judicial districts into the MDL, a move typically preceding global settlement negotiations in mass tort cases.

Why Choose Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers for Your Social Media Lawsuit?

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Call Us Today for a Free Social Media Lawsuit Consultation

Should you or your child suffer harm from excessive social media usage, you may want to file a claim. Families who are eligible can take legal action against social media companies for psychological and emotional damages. At Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, our team of attorneys understand the complexities of these cases and will do everything in their power to secure justice for their clients.

Navigating the legal landscape can be daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. Call us today at (800) 718-4658 or fill out our easy online contact form for a free case consultation!