Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

This page is about social media addiction lawsuits and who is eligible to bring a claim. Our lawyers also provide the latest social media class action lawsuit news.

The problem that led to social media lawsuits is that millions of people, too many of whom are children, are addicted to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others. For these vulnerable users, social media addiction can be very harmful and lead to things like eating disorders, depression, and, in some cases, suicide.

Now, these companies are facing a wave of new social media lawsuits alleging that they knowingly designed the algorithms of their platforms to lure young people into harmful addictions.

Our national mass tort lawyers are currently seeking social media addiction lawsuits from individuals who became addicted to social media before age 21 and suffered severe injuries as a direct result of that addiction. Injuries resulting from social media addiction could include suicide, self-harm, or an eating disorder. This page will provide news and updates on the social media addiction litigation and our estimates on the potential settlement value of these cases.

If your child has suffered severe harm as a result of addiction to social media, call today at 800-553-8082 or contact our lawyers online.

a free online consultation.

News and Updates for Social Media Lawsuits for 2025

Below are the latest news and updates in the social media MDL and related lawsuits.

Social Media Platforms Target Teens

Social media companies like Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Google have built dangerously addictive products that exploit children and teens for profit. Plaintiffs allege these companies knowingly designed their platforms—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube—with features that manipulate adolescent psychology, including infinite scrolling, algorithmic content loops, and variable reward systems that mimic the dopamine loops seen in gambling and drug addiction. At this risk of hyperbole, it is pretty diabolical. These design choices are not accidental. Defendants borrowed tactics from the tobacco and slot machine industries, deliberately embedding engagement-maximizing mechanics that they knew would be especially effective on children, whose prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision-making—is not fully developed.

Over 90% of all teens in the U.S. use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Studies estimate that the average teen spends around three hours daily engaging with social media platforms. Instagram is among the most popular social media platforms for young people and teenagers. Instagram recently reported that it has over 57 million users under 18.

The social media companies such as Meta Platforms (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) have intentionally designed their products to maximize users’ screen time. They do this by employing complex algorithms designed to exploit human psychology. Meta and other social media constantly update and modify their products to promote excessive consumption.

Social media platforms have created user interfaces that intentionally display content that is often irresistible to young users. The “feed” features on most social media platforms continuously show young users an endless stream of content that the algorithm curates based on a data profile of the user’s interests.

Teens are Especially Vulnerable to the Dangers of Social Media Addiction

Scientific research indicates that the human brain continues to develop during adolescence. Teenage brains are not fully developed in risk evaluation, emotional control, and impulse control regions. The algorithms utilized by major social media platforms intentionally exploit the lack of fully developed impulse and emotional control in the brains of adolescent users.

When teens get “likes” on social media, their brains release dopamine, which causes euphoria. However, as soon as dopamine is released, their euphoria is countered by dejection: minor users’ brains adapt by reducing or “downregulating” the number of dopamine receptors that are stimulated.

With normal forms of positive stimulation, the returns to neutral after a brief period. However, social media algorithms are designed to exploit users’ natural tendency to counteract by returning to the source of pleasure for another dose of euphoria.

Eventually, as this pattern continues over months and years, the neurological baseline for triggering the dopamine responses in teen users increases. Teens then continue to use Facebook and Instagram, not for enjoyment, but to feel normal. When teens attempt to stop using social media products, they experience the universal symptoms of withdrawal from any addictive substance, including anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and craving.

Addictive use of social media by minors is psychologically and neurologically analogous to addiction to internet gaming disorder. Gaming addiction is recognized as a mental disease by the World Health Organization and other public health agencies.

• Who is eligible to file a social media lawsuit?

Social Media Companies Profit From Teen Advertising

How Social Media Addiction Can Harm Young People

A rapidly growing body of scientific research (including internal research by the social media companies themselves) has shown that addiction to social media can result in severe emotional harm and potentially physical harm for teens. This research, coupled with what we know about what these companies did to foster addiction, drives the social media lawsuit.

In 2018, a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found a clear correlation between time spent on social media platforms and mental health issues, depression, and social ideation among adolescents. The study findings found that excessive use of social media correlated to an increase in self-harm behavior.

In 2021, the results of a long-term study by BYU on the impact of social media on teens found that teenage girls who used social media for 2-3 hours a day had a clinically higher risk for suicide. Research performed by the social media companies themselves confirmed the harm caused by these platforms. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Facebook performed internal research that found significant mental health issues related to Instagram use by teenage girls, including suicidal thoughts and eating disorders.

Lawsuits Against Social Media Companies for Harm Caused by Teen Addiction

Over the last year, a growing number of product liability lawsuits have been filed against Meta and other social media companies, seeking to hold them liable for injuries resulting from teen addictions to social media platforms. These lawsuits are being brought by teens and/or their parents. Nearly all of the lawsuits filed so far have been brought against Meta for addictions to its Instagram or Facebook platforms.

The social media harm lawsuits allege that platforms such as Facebook and Instagram were designed in a way that made them addictive and, therefore, unreasonably dangerous to adolescent users. The lawsuits also claim that the social media companies negligently failed to warn minor users and their parents about the risks of addiction and resulting harm.

The plaintiffs in these social media addiction lawsuits are seeking damages for severe physical and emotional injuries allegedly suffered as a result of teens becoming addicted to

Social Media Grooming Lawsuits

Social media grooming lawsuits against platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and others involve legal actions taken by victims or their families against these companies.  There are also lawsuits against Robolox, which is not a regular player in social media lawsuits.  The core of these claims, which usually involve sex abuse or exploitation, is that social media platforms failed to protect minors from being groomed by predators.

The basis of these lawsuits often centers around several key legal arguments that plaintiffs’ social media lawyers believe are very strong.

First, plaintiffs argue that social media platforms were negligent in failing to implement adequate safeguards to protect minors from online grooming. This includes insufficient moderation of content, lack of effective reporting mechanisms, and inadequate measures to verify the age of users. By not taking these precautions because it would decrease their already excessive profits, the platforms are accused of allowing predators to exploit their services to contact and groom children.

Additionally, some lawsuits frame the issue as a product liability claim, asserting that the design of the platform is inherently dangerous or defective because it enables predators to contact and groom children. This perspective treats the platform itself as a product that should be reasonably safe for its intended use, which includes safeguarding vulnerable users from harm.

Furthermore, platforms may be accused of breaching their duty to provide a safe environment for their users. This duty is especially important for minors, who are particularly vulnerable to online predators. By failing to ensure a safe online space, the platforms woefully fail in their responsibility to their users and to the general public.

Blocking Parents from Monitoring Their Children

A key argument in many of the lawsuits against social media companies is their failure to provide adequate tools for parents to monitor and control their children’s use of platforms.  Plaintiffs’ social media addiction lawyers argue that social media companies have not only designed their products to be addictive but have also neglected to implement safeguards that would allow parents to intervene effectively.

While social media platforms offer features like screen time limits and content filters, these tools are often insufficient and difficult to navigate. As a result, parents are left with limited ability to protect their children from the harmful effects of social media addiction, including exposure to harmful content, online grooming, and cyberbullying. The failure to provide meaningful parental controls is seen as a form of negligence by these companies, especially given their knowledge of the risks posed to young users.

In the lawsuits, plaintiffs argue that social media companies are not only aware of these deficiencies but have deliberately chosen not to address them, prioritizing profit and user engagement over the safety of teen users. This lack of accountability, combined with

Social Media Companies May Claim Legal Immunity

Will the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Be Successful?

The lawsuits seeking to hold social media companies liable for harm caused by addiction to their platforms are clearly unique and, in many ways, unprecedented. None of these cases has gone to trial or been settled. These cases involve somewhat novel tort claims, and the plaintiffs will face a tough uphill battle on many fronts.

One of the most significant pitfalls for these social media addiction lawsuits will be proving causation. First, the plaintiffs will need to scientifically prove that there was a physical addiction to the platform. Studies on this have been conducted, but it’s not certain whether these would meet the level of academic scrutiny necessary to be admissible in court.

Even if the plaintiffs can prove that there was an actual addiction to a social media platform, they will also need to prove that the addiction was “more likely than not” the cause of the physical harm suffered by the teen. In a suicide case, this might be very difficult because social media addiction will likely be just one of several contributing causes.

Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Settlement Amounts

As social media addiction lawsuits against companies like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Snap Inc. (Snapchat) move forward, predicting settlement amounts is still speculative, as none of these cases have reached trial or settlement yet.

Still, if the suits proceed as well as most plaintiffs’ lawyers believe they will, our lawyers can speculate about potential settlement amounts these social media companies will ultimately pay based on the nature of the allegations and historical precedents from other major liability cases. Keep in mind that these are just projections, and they assume that the plaintiffs will successfully overcome key legal challenges, including proving causation and harm.

High-Value Settlements: Teen Suicide Cases

The highest potential settlement amounts are expected in cases involving teen suicides linked to social media addiction. Wrongful death claims, particularly those involving teenagers, typically result in higher settlement values due to significant emotional and financial losses. If these cases go as well as most plaintiffs’ lawyers hope, the average suicide settlement amounts could range from $900,000 to $3 million per case.  As for trial, it would not be surprising to see compensation verdicts in the tens of millions even before we get to punitive damages.

Factors driving these higher settlement values include:

1. Emotional Impact: These are incredibly tragic cases.  The profound emotional toll on families who lose a child, especially under tragic circumstances involving suicide, could lead to substantial awards.
2. Corporate Responsibility: If plaintiffs successfully demonstrate that companies like Meta were aware of the dangers posed to teens and chose not to act, punitive damages could significantly increase the risk these companies face at trial and that will impact settlement amounts.
3. Public Pressure: The growing societal concern about the mental health impacts of social media on youth may push companies to settle quickly to avoid public backlash.  The politics and the optics in his litigation definitely lean the plaintiffs’ way.

Moderate Settlements: Severe Injuries and Mental Health Disorders

For cases involving severe but non-fatal injuries, such as self-harm, eating disorders, or long-term mental health issues, settlement payouts are likely to be lower than wrongful death cases but could still be substantial. If these cases proceed favorably for plaintiffs, settlements could be in the range of $300,000 to $900,000, depending on the severity and duration of the harm.

• Eating Disorders: Lawsuits involving severe eating disorders (such as anorexia or bulimia) that are linked to social media use may result in settlement payouts between $300,000 and $900,000 if plaintiffs can show ongoing physical and psychological harm.
• Self-Harm: Claims involving self-mutilation or severe self-harm could see similar settlement ranges, particularly if the cases involve long-term emotional trauma and visible scars.
• Mental Health Disorders: Cases of severe anxiety, depression, or related mental health issues would likely fall within a slightly lower range, around $150,000 to $450,000, unless plaintiffs can prove the harm was directly tied to the addictive nature of social media.

Low-Value Settlements: Mild to Moderate Injuries

Settlements will likely be lower for cases involving milder injuries, such as temporary mental health issues or emotional distress. However, if the plaintiffs’ lawyers succeed in establishing a connection between social media use and these issues, settlements may range from $30,000 to $150,000, especially if no ongoing treatment is required.

What Are the Major Injuries in a Social Media Lawsuit?

Let’s look at the type of injuries that the social media lawsuits involve:

• Addiction/Compulsive Use: Social media platforms are designed to be engaging and can lead to compulsive use or addiction. This is often due to the platforms’ use of algorithms that encourage prolonged engagement, potentially leading to neglect of other activities and responsibilities.
• Eating Disorders:
  • Anorexia: Exposure to content promoting unrealistic body standards can contribute to anorexia, where individuals develop an obsessive fear of gaining weight and severely limit their food intake.
  • Bulimia: Similarly, exposure to certain content on social media can contribute to bulimia, characterized by periods of overeating followed by purging due to body image issues.
  • Binge Eating: Social media can also influence binge eating behaviors, where individuals consume large amounts of food quickly, often triggered by stress or emotional content online.
  • Other Eating Disorders: Various other eating disorders can be influenced by the content and interactions on social media, including exposure to diet culture and body shaming.
• Depression: Constant comparison with others, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful or distressing content on social media can contribute to feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and depression.
• Anxiety: Overuse of social media can lead to heightened anxiety stemming from social comparison, fear of missing out (FOMO), and exposure to anxiety-inducing content.
• Self-Harm:
  • Suicidality: Exposure to content related to suicide or being part of online communities that discuss self-harm can increase suicidal thoughts, particularly in vulnerable individuals. This and sex abuse are the worst injuries our social media attorneys are seeing in these lawsuits, and surviving family members certainly may be eligible for a lawsuit. We discuss this more just below.
  • Attempted Suicide: There can be an influence on suicide attempts due to the glorification or normalization of such actions in certain social media circles.
  • Death by Suicide: Tragically, social media can play a role in some individuals’ decisions to take their own lives, especially when they are exposed to suicidal content or cyberbullying.
  • Other Self-Harm: This includes various forms of self-injurious behavior, which might be influenced by content seen on social media or as a coping mechanism for the distress experienced due to online interactions.
• Child Sex Abuse: The presence of predators on social media and the sharing of explicit content can lead to cases of child sexual abuse.
• CSAM Violations (Child Sexual Abuse Material): The distribution and access to illegal child sexual abuse material can be facilitated through specific platforms, contributing to this serious issue.
• Other Physical Injuries: This can include a range of physical injuries that may be indirectly caused by social media use, such as accidents occurring while being distracted by social media (we add this for completeness – our lawyers are not handling distracted claims)

Social Media Suicide Lawsuits

It is no accident that users struggling with their mental health get bombarded with posts about suicide and self-harm. Social media platforms use algorithms designed to keep users engaged—even if that means funneling vulnerable individuals into content that glorifies suicide. Once a user interacts with even one post related to mental health struggles, the platform doubles down, serving up more and more potentially harmful content. For some at-risk individuals, this is not just irresponsible. It is deadly.

Here are some ways in which social media can play a role:

1. Cyberbullying and Harassment: Social media companies know that cyberbullying is rampant on their platforms, and they know the harm it causes. Adolescents and young adults, already vulnerable, face relentless online harassment that isolates them, drives them into depression, and, in too many cases, leads to suicide. And what do these billion-dollar tech giants do to stop it? Practically nothing. They offer weak reporting mechanisms that rarely result in meaningful action, allowing harmful content to fester. Meanwhile, they rake in ad revenue from continued engagement.
2. Exposure to Suicidal Content: Exposure to posts, images, or videos discussing or glorifying suicide can influence vulnerable individuals, particularly if they are already struggling with mental health issues.
3. Social Comparison and Low Self-esteem: Every day, teenagers and young adults scroll through curated, filtered versions of other people’s lives, leading to an epidemic of self-doubt, body image issues, and low self-esteem. The platforms know this. Studies have confirmed it. And yet, they continue to promote influencer-driven content that sets impossible beauty and lifestyle standards because it generates clicks, engagement, and—most importantly—profits.
4. Isolation and Lack of Real Connection: Excessive time spent on social media can lead to decreased face-to-face interactions and a sense of social isolation, which is a known risk factor for depression and suicide.
5. Online Echo Chambers: Rather than removing harmful content, social media companies allow toxic online communities to thrive—spaces where self-harm, disordered eating, and suicidal ideation are normalized and even encouraged. These echo chambers prey on the most vulnerable, pushing them further into dangerous behaviors. (And because engagement equals profit, the companies have no real incentive to shut them down.)
6. Sleep Disruption: Overuse of social media, especially before bedtime, can disrupt sleep patterns. Poor sleep is linked to a variety of mental health issues, including an increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.
7. Triggering Content: A vulnerable user searching for help is just as likely to stumble upon content that worsens their mental health as they are to find actual support. Social media platforms fail to provide meaningful safeguards against triggering content, and their content moderation efforts are laughably inadequate. Time and again, they choose to prioritize engagement over safety, with deadly consequences.

Who Are the Social Media Defendants?

Here are the key social media defendants:

ETA Entities

1. Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, Inc.
2. Instagram, LLC
3. Facebook Payments, Inc.
4. Siculus, Inc.
5. Facebook Operations, LLC

TikTok Entities

1. ByteDance Ltd.
2. ByteDance Inc.
3. TikTok Ltd.
4. TikTok LLC.
5. TikTok Inc.

Snap Entity

1. Snap Inc.

Google Entities

1. Google LLC
2. YouTube, LLC

Lawsuits against Facebook/Meta

Meta, the company responsible for operating and designing Facebook and Instagram, two of the world’s most popular social media platforms, is probably the number one defendant in this litigation. In 2022, the staggering user statistics revealed that Instagram had two billion active monthly users worldwide, while Facebook boasted almost three billion monthly active users. While these numbers showcase Meta’s enormous reach, they also underscore the extensive damage suffered by plaintiffs and other adolescent users of these platforms.

Meta Knew What It Was Doing

Meta’s own internal documents reveal that it was well aware of the negative consequences of what Facebook and Instagram were doing to children. It acknowledged that children under 13 were using Instagram despite being prohibited from doing so. Furthermore, Meta recognized that its Facebook and Instagram – especially Instagram, obviously for kids – platforms were addictive, with teenagers feeling pressured to engage with them constantly. The company admitted that its existing tools did not limit users’ screen time.

Addictive use of Instagram was acknowledged to lead to significant problems. Still, the company is accused of what so many big lawsuits are about – it put growth and profits over the well-being of children. Despite being warned about issues related to problematic use, bullying, harassment, and the impact on young users, Meta failed to take substantial action. Instead, it maintained the status quo, citing concerns that addressing these problems might negatively affect the company’s growth.

Pretending to Try to Solve the Problem

Meta allegedly tried to help the problem with mere public relations gestures, with internal documents suggesting they were not taken seriously. The company provided tools such as “time spent” features to parents and kids, even though it knew that the data presented by these tools was inaccurate.

Additionally, Meta is accused of engaging in a campaign to discredit research about the addictive nature of its products, calling it “completely made up.” In contrast, its internal research highlighted the unique dangers posed to young users.

Despite this knowledge, Meta’s failure to protect child users of Instagram and Facebook has drawn significant attention. Instead of addressing the problems caused by its platforms, the company cut funding for its mental health team and deprioritized addiction-related issues. These actions have raised concerns about the company’s commitment to user safety.

How They Did It

Contact Us About a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

If you or your child has suffered severe physical or emotional harm as a result of addiction to social media, contact our lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.