Social Media Eating Disorder Lawsuit

Understanding the Social Media Eating Disorder Lawsuit

Social media platforms were made to engage users and encourage repeated and prolonged use. Among young people, this could also lead to overuse that is obsessive or compulsive. This is the basis of the social media addiction lawsuits. Over time, many tweens, teens, and young adults using these platforms have developed mental health conditions that require medical care. This includes eating disorders.

Social media could trigger the development of an eating disorder in several ways. All social media platforms are loaded with unrealistic images of models, body shaming comments and posts, and diet culture. Many online influencers focus entirely on extreme diets, cutting out entire food groups, and how to get the perfect body.

Some eating disorders that could support a social media disorder lawsuit include:

• Anorexia nervosa: Many social media posts feature idealized body images, which are often filtered and edited, leading to unrealistic body standards.
• Bulimia nervosa: Certain social media content, including pro-eating disorder pages, can lead users to overeat and then purge to try to reduce their weight.
• Binge Eating: Binge eating is commonly triggered by high stress or emotions, which could be exacerbated by content viewed on social media.

Other serious mental health issues linked to social media addiction include body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, thoughts, and attempts. Plaintiffs are also filing cases based on the exploitation of children online.

The defendants listed in these lawsuits include a wide range of tech companies and their social media platforms. This includes Meta Platforms, Inc., ByteDance, Snap Inc., and Alphabet Inc. The apps involved include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube.

To get justice in these lawsuits, the plaintiffs must present substantial evidence to link the user’s social media habits with their eating disorders and show that the tech companies acted negligently because they made addictive apps that encouraged excessive use in vulnerable age groups.

Recovering Damages Through the Social Media Eating Disorder Lawsuit

Social media addiction and the mental health issues it is possibly causing are costing young users and their families a lot of money. One of the goals of the social media eating disorder lawsuit is to hold these massive tech companies responsible for the financial damages that occurred.

There are two types of recoverable damages in these cases:

• Economic: These are the financial expenses and losses from excessive social media use and the related injuries. It includes the current and future costs of treating the eating disorder, therapy or counseling, legal fees, lost income, and more. Any related expenses and losses a plaintiff incurred might be recoverable.
• Non-Economic: Non-economic damages come from the intangible losses suffered. This includes physical and emotional pain and suffering, mental anguish, reduced enjoyment of life, and other losses related to depression, anxiety, and other mental health care concerns.

These cases also often include injunctive relief. Injunctive relief is a non-monetary concession granted in many cases like this. It is the change in the system that victims hope to see that will prevent others from becoming victims in the future.

In the case of eating disorders and social media addiction, this could include altering the social media algorithm to increase body-positive posts, limiting the posts about diet culture, clearly marking edited photos and filtered videos, and penalizing or even banning users who body shame others.

The judge in the case has the authority to order injunctive relief as a part of any court order and to require it to be a part of any settlement agreement they approve.

How Can I Recover Damages Based on My Eating Disorder Diagnosis?

Most personal injury cases end in a negotiated settlement. Successful cases inside a mass tort are no different. The liable parties often see the strength of the evidence against them or face the outcome of one or more bellwether cases and decide that settling as many cases as possible is in their best interests.

The settlement offer could be split among all plaintiffs, tiered based on the severity of the damages suffered, or based on your unique case. Your attorney will work with you to evaluate the offer and determine what is in your best interests if this occurs.

Trust Our Law Firm Partners With Your Social Media Eating Disorder Lawsuit

The Goldwater Law Firm is one of the most widely recognized firms in the United States, and we have a long history of getting results for our clients. Currently, through our strategic partnerships, our law firm partners are accepting social media addiction lawsuit cases in all 50 states.

For more than 20 years, clients have trusted our team to put their best interests first. We treat every client with empathy, knowing this is likely one of the most challenging and frustrating times of their lives. Facing an eating disorder and treatment is difficult. Holding the social media companies responsible for their role in causing it doesn’t have to be.

When you trust our co-counsel with your case, you can count on your social media addiction attorney to manage your lawsuit from start to finish. They will know how to navigate the process and protect your best interests. They will:

• Prepare and file your complaint
• Provide you with regular updates as the case progresses
• Carefully identify and document your related damages
• Answer your questions as they arise
• Remain on top of the latest research and news related to your case
• Negotiate for a fair settlement when possible
• Continue to act in your best interests throughout the process
• Fight to recover money for you based on the facts of your case

In addition to our highly respected co-counsel, we also have an extensive network of specialists, researchers, medical experts, and others who we can call on to support these cases and help us show these social media giants are responsible for causing serious mental health concerns in adolescents.

You will pay nothing upfront for your consultation with our team or filing your social media eating disorder lawsuit if you qualify. Our co-counsel handles these cases based on contingency. Their fees will come from any money they recover for you in the case.

What Is the Social Media Eating Disorder Mass Tort?

Many plaintiffs filing social media eating disorder lawsuits are participating in the social media addiction mass tort currently underway. This is MDL 3047 IN RE: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) consolidated these cases into multidistrict litigation in October 2022.

The MDL procedure allows plaintiffs to work together to build a stronger, more effective case and share resources during pre-trial motions and the discovery process. This makes it possible to build a strong case against numerous multinational companies worth billions of dollars each, which would be difficult for a single plaintiff.

On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reported there were currently 499 plaintiffs with lawsuits pending in MDL 3047. This number is expected to rise as more people learn about the link between social media addiction and eating disorders. You can still join if you qualify. Our co-counsel is filing these lawsuits and representing plaintiffs.

What Is the Current Progress of MDL 3047?

MDL 3047 is already underway and progressing quickly. Several pre-trial motions have already occurred, and they have selected the bellwether cases. Discovery is happening now. You should act fast if you want to participate in the social media lawsuit.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is overseeing this process for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She expects to begin bellwether trials in Fall 2025.