– Updated on February 27, 2025
Plaintiffs in the social media addiction lawsuit claim several technology companies created addictive platforms that are especially harmful to children, tweens, and teens. According to these lawsuits, the developers understood their platforms were addictive and engineered them to keep users engaged longer and coming back more frequently.
The defendants in this mass tort include several multi-billion- and multi-trillion-dollar social media and Internet companies. The plaintiffs claim serious mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts and eating disorders.
Which Tech Companies Are Defendants in the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
Several major social media companies are defendants in the mass tort based on social media addiction. The tech companies behind these social media platforms are some of the biggest in the world, including:
- Meta Platforms, Inc., with platforms including Facebook and Instagram
- Alphabet Inc., the owner of Google, which operates YouTube
- Snap Inc. and Snapchat
- ByteDance, which owns TikTok
According to the lawsuits filed in this case, these companies purposefully designed their social media platforms to draw in users and encourage frequent and lengthy use. This is causing addiction and mental health concerns, especially among tweens, teens, and young adults.
What Harm Are Victims Reporting in the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
When young people use social media excessively, there is evidence to show they could develop several serious mental health concerns. This is an essential point in social media addiction lawsuits. Both scientific research and anecdotal evidence back the link between social media exposure and these mental health changes.
Some of the concerns reported by victims filing social media addiction lawsuits include:
- Suicidal ideation
- Suicide attempts
- Self-harm
- Eating disorders
- Body dysmorphia
Victims who are eligible to join the social media addiction mass tort are children, adolescents, or teenagers who have a diagnosed mental health condition or documented experience with one of the concerns listed above. In addition, they likely used social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok excessively. Excessive use generally includes several hours each day. Some even report turning down real-life experiences because of their social media addiction.
What Damages Are Recoverable in a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
The damages plaintiffs in the social media addiction lawsuit are demanding include a wide range of damages that cover their current and future expenses incurred. Mental health concerns, especially when they are life-threatening, can be expensive to treat and manage. Some of the potentially recoverable damages in this case include:
- Medical expenses: The cost of current and future care for physical, mental, and emotional conditions related to social media addiction
- Income losses: Any income losses due to social media addiction and related mental health care concerns
- Educational losses: The costs necessary to recover any educational losses an adolescent or teen suffered because of their mental health concerns
- Additional expenses: Any related expenses, including traveling for care or parking at the doctor’s office
- Pain and suffering: Emotional distress, loss of enjoyment in life, and physical pain and suffering due to mental health concerns and social media addiction
- Wrongful death: Compensation for families who lost a loved one due to suicide, eating disorders, or other fatal complications of a mental health concern linked to social media addiction
Other types of damages potentially available in similar cases include:
- Punitive damages: Punitive damages are rare, but juries could award them in social media addiction cases if they believe the defendants acted willfully or particularly maliciously. These damages penalize the defendants and send a message to other companies not to behave similarly.
- Injunctive relief: The plaintiffs in the social media addiction lawsuit will likely request some type of injunctive relief from the defendants. Injunctive relief refers to actions the defendants take to prevent future injuries, such as providing stronger warnings for children and addiction support for users.
Understanding How the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Works
Currently, the social media addiction lawsuit is a mass tort known as MDL 3047 IN RE: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the initial cases into an MDL in October 2022. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California is hearing pretrial motions and directing discovery.
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reported 557 pending actions in MDL 3047 on August 1, 2024. More plaintiffs continue to join the lawsuit each month. There is still time for you to participate if you or a loved one developed a serious mental health issue after excessive social media use.
Multidistrict litigation is a process by which a specialized panel of judges reviews cases and determines if a mass tort case is the best approach. When they decide there are enough cases with similar facts based on the same concern, they consolidate them into an MDL. MDLs serve several purposes:
- They allow the plaintiffs to consolidate resources to build a stronger case.
- They provide a way for individuals to take on huge companies.
- They prevent hundreds of similar cases from clogging lower courts.
- They allow all parties to see how a judge and jury react to the evidence in the case.
Multidistrict litigation consolidates similar cases for several key parts of the legal process, including pretrial motions, investigation and discovery, and bellwether trials.
During the bellwether trials, the MDL judge oversees several trials. This allows all parties to understand how juries rule based on the evidence available and how the case will likely go. The outcome only applies in that case, but verdicts for the plaintiffs often lead to settlement offers in these cases.
Contact Us for Your Free Social Media Addiction Case Evaluation
The Goldwater Law Firm can help you understand if you may be eligible to participate in the social media addiction MDL. We provide free case consultations for potential victims and their families. Our co-counsel is representing clients nationwide in these cases. Do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your next steps today.
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