Social media companies have an obligation to make their platforms safe places for children and teens. These companies have neglected to adhere to this responsibility and instead rake in billions of dollars by exploiting young people. Call the compassionate team at Hach & Rose if your child is a victim of social media harm. We file social media harm lawsuits and help you request compensation for your family’s injuries.
Social media companies such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Snapchat, TikTok, and others have spent years profiting from users who have become addicted to social media. Worse, many of these platforms are designed to entice young users. As a result, excessive social media use has led to harmful effects on children and young adults and financial consequences for their families.
Contact Hach & Rose Today for a Free Consultation
- Contact Hach & Rose Today for a Free Consultation
- We Are Holding Social Media Companies Accountable
- Recent Updates in the Pending Social Media Harm Lawsuits
- One Real-Life Example of the Harm Social Media Can Cause
- What Physical and Emotional Harm May be Caused by Social Media?
- What Compensation is Available Through a Social Media Harm Lawsuit?
- Why Choose Hach & Rose for Your Social Media Harm Lawsuit?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Let Hach & Rose Fight for Your Family
- We Fight For Maximum Compensation
We Are Holding Social Media Companies Accountable
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube have become central to teens’ daily lives, but these companies have long known that their algorithms can fuel addiction, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and self-harm in young users. Families across the country are now taking legal action to hold these platforms accountable for the harm caused to their children.
At Hach & Rose, we believe these companies should be held accountable for failing to protect young people on their platforms. If your child or teenager regularly used a social media platform for at least 3 hours each day starting before they turned 21 and later suffered from mental health issues linked to social media use, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for medical care, therapy, and the emotional toll on your family.
Contact the social media harm legal team at Hach & Rose, LLP to discuss your case today. We are currently investigating cases involving social media harm. We may be able to help you seek compensation.
How Social Media May Be Harming Teens
Research and internal documents reveal that social media platforms are designed to increase engagement by:
- Pushing content that keeps teens scrolling, even when it negatively impacts their mental health.
- Promoting unrealistic body image standards.
- Failing to implement effective parental controls.
- Allowing exposure to cyberbullying and harmful content.
These practices have been linked to increased rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, and self-harm among teens and preteens.
Who Can File a Social Media Harm Lawsuit?
Parents or guardians can file on behalf of minors who:
- Developed anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or other mental health conditions linked to social media use.
- Have a history of excessive use or addiction to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube.
- Experienced worsening mental health or suicidal thoughts tied to social media engagement.
You may still qualify even if your child used multiple platforms or if you are unsure of the exact timeline of harm.
Nationwide Litigation: What You Need to Know
Social media harm lawsuits are now consolidated in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in California, where hundreds of families are seeking accountability from major tech companies for the harm caused to minors.
These cases are moving forward, with courts setting schedules for trials that may influence settlement opportunities for families across the country. Early wins in these cases could strengthen the path for individual claims, helping families secure compensation and accountability.
Recent Updates in the Pending Social Media Harm Lawsuits
The legal team at Hach & Rose is keeping a close eye on the evolution of social media harm litigation throughout the country. As new cases are filed and courts rule on various legal issues, we’ll post updates here to keep you informed. If you have any questions about your specific situation and legal rights, reach out to our dedicated social media harm lawyers to learn more.
Here are the latest updates related to social media harm litigation.
November 1, 2025 – More Than 2,000 Families Now Suing Social Media Companies
If your child has struggled with anxiety, depression, or addiction after using social media, your family is not alone. As of this month, over 2,000 lawsuits have been filed against companies like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook, all claiming these platforms were designed in ways that harm kids.
What’s Happening in the Courts?
The social media lawsuits are now part of a larger legal effort called a multidistrict litigation (MDL). This means similar cases are grouped together to make the process more efficient. Right now:
- 2,053 lawsuits are pending in federal court.
- Trials are expected to begin in 2026.
- The first cases will be brought by school districts, but their outcomes will shape what happens in personal injury cases filed by families.
These school cases will help determine whether tech companies can be held responsible for the harm caused by social media addiction. A win in the school cases will be a big step forward for parents seeking justice.
What Are the Companies Doing?
The social media platforms are still denying responsibility. They’re trying to:
- Keep expert testimony out of court that supports parents’ claims.
- Dismiss the lawsuits using legal arguments like free speech protections.
- Delay or limit what evidence is shared about how their platforms work.
But so far, judges have allowed the cases to move forward—and that’s a promising sign.
What’s Happening This Month
Several new developments are adding pressure on these companies:
- New York City and other school districts have sued major platforms, blaming them for mental health problems and dangerous behavior like subway surfing.
- Former employees at Meta (Facebook’s parent company) are speaking out, saying leadership ignored warnings about child safety in virtual reality apps.
- Government agencies like the FTC are now investigating how social media and AI tools may harm kids.
All of this builds a stronger case for families who want answers—and accountability.
Talk to Hach & Rose About Your Legal Options
At Hach & Rose, we’ve seen firsthand how deeply this crisis is affecting families. If your child has experienced serious mental health issues linked to social media use, you may be able to take legal action, and we’re here to help you explore that path.
Contact us today for a free, private consultation. You don’t have to make any decisions right away. We’re here to answer your questions and support you every step of the way.
October 1, 2025 – Important Progress in the Fight to Hold Social Media Companies Accountable
If you’re a parent worried that your child has been harmed by social media, you’re not alone. Every week, more families are stepping forward to share their stories. In fact, as of mid-September, nearly 2,000 lawsuits have been filed in the federal case against major social media companies.
These cases claim that platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube were designed to be addictive and that they failed to warn parents about the serious risks to children’s mental health.
Which Case Will Go to Trial First?
The first trials in this nationwide litigation will be brought by school districts, not individual families. These trials are meant to show how social media addiction has impacted entire communities, forcing schools to spend large amounts of money on counseling, mental health services, and crisis response.
Right now, lawyers are debating. Plaintiffs are suggesting Tucson Unified School District to lead because its case is strong, includes multiple legal claims, and represents a large population of students. The defense prefers a smaller district in Irvington, New Jersey.
What This Means for Families Like Yours
You might be wondering: Why do these school cases matter if my child was the one who was hurt?
Basically, these first trials will help determine how judges and juries see the actions of social media companies. If a jury finds that these platforms knowingly harmed students, it will strengthen the cases brought by individual parents whose children suffered from:
- Anxiety or depression
- Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
- Eating disorders
- Sleep problems or school avoidance
The more proof that social media platforms ignored the risks to children and refused to act, the more likely it is that families will be able to hold them accountable.
Lawmakers and Regulators Are Paying Attention Too
In recent weeks, the government has also started to take a closer look at how tech companies operate:
- The FTC is investigating whether AI chatbots are safe for children after AI allegedly encouraged harmful conversations.
- Former Meta employees testified before Congress that they reported children were exposed to inappropriate content in virtual reality, and that their concerns were ignored by the company.
When Will Trials Start?
- The first trial in California state court is scheduled for the week of November 24, 2025, with more to follow in early 2026.
- In the federal court system, the school district trials are expected to begin later in 2026, but preparations are well underway.
Hach & Rose Can Explain Your Family’s Legal Options
If your child has struggled with mental health problems linked to social media use, you may have the right to file a claim. At Hach & Rose, we are ready to help families explore their legal options and we’re here to support you too.
These early school trials may not involve personal injury yet, but they are laying the groundwork for the lawsuits that matter most to families. We understand how difficult it is to take that first step, but we’re here to guide you through it with compassion and care.
Contact us today for a free consultation. There is no pressure, no cost to speak with us—just honest answers from people who care.
August 1, 2025: First Bellwether Trial in California Set to Begin as Federal MDL Nears 1,900 Cases
The legal fight to hold social media companies accountable for harming our youth is approaching a critical milestone. In California’s state court proceedings, the first trial is now officially scheduled to begin in late 2025, positioning that case ahead of similar trials in the federal system.
California Trial Timeline Set for November
Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who is overseeing the coordinated social media litigation in California state court (known as the JCCP), confirmed that jury selection for the first bellwether trial will begin on November 19, 2025. The trial itself is expected to start the following week in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Additional bellwether trials are already on the calendar:
- Trial Pool 2 is scheduled for March 9, 2026
- Trial Pool 3 will follow on May 11, 2026
Judge Kuhl has chosen to personally preside over all phases of these trials, allowing for consistency in how key legal issues, such as expert witness challenges and jury instructions, are handled.
What This Means for Families
These early bellwether trials will test the strength of the claims that companies like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube designed their platforms to maximize engagement, without regard for the risks to young users. A strong outcome for plaintiffs could influence future settlements or jury awards and set new legal precedents.
Federal MDL Also Continues to Grow
Meanwhile, the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 3047) continues to grow steadily. As of last month, there are 1,867 active lawsuits consolidated in the Northern District of California. These cases have been filed by families nationwide, alleging that social media platforms were:
- Defectively designed to encourage compulsive use
- Negligent in warning users and parents about known risks
- Responsible for a range of mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and, tragically, even loss of life
If you believe social media has negatively impacted your child’s mental health, now is the time to learn more about your legal options. Hach & Rose is here to help you understand your rights and fight for your family’s well-being.
July 2025: School District Trials Set as First Bellwether Trials
- Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers selected six school districts in Maryland, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Arizona as the first bellwether trials in the Social Media Addiction MDL.
- These trials will test claims that platforms knowingly contributed to a youth mental health crisis, with outcomes likely influencing settlement values for future personal injury cases.
- School cases proceed first due to procedural simplicity and their potential to establish causation between social media use and teen mental health harms.
- A recent ruling allowed Tucson Unified School District to withhold certain student behavior notes, affirming the credibility of data schools have provided and supporting evidence for families’ future claims.
- Five individual injury cases have been selected to proceed after the school district trials, ensuring personal injury lawsuits are moving forward as the MDL advances toward trial.
June 2025: Privacy Rulings Protect Plaintiffs, New Lawsuits Filed
- An Ohio family filed suit against Meta and Snap, alleging a teen developed addiction, depression, and self-harm from prolonged use of Instagram and Snapchat.
- Judge Peter Kang ruled that the therapy records of plaintiffs remain confidential, rejecting defendants’ attempts to access them.
- Coordination between Meta and California’s GO-Biz on document disclosure raised concerns but may support plaintiffs’ arguments regarding corporate and institutional failures to protect youth.
- The MDL remains active as cases progress toward discovery and bellwether trials later in 2025.
May 2025: Case Count Adjustment, State Lawsuits Advance
- The MDL case count was adjusted to 1,787 cases after the removal of duplicate filings, while the discovery process continued.
- Florida sued Snap for violating a state law requiring parental consent for under-16 social media use.
- Alabama filed suit against TikTok, alleging it exploits children and fuels a youth mental health crisis.
- A Vermont case unsealed in federal court revealed claims that Snapchat facilitated contact between minors and a predator, adding emotional harm claims against Snap.
April 2025: MDL Expands, Bellwether Trials Scheduled
- The MDL grew to over 1,745 pending lawsuits, with cases targeting Meta, Snap, TikTok, YouTube, and others.
- Judge Carolyn Kuhl confirmed the first bellwether trial is scheduled for November 25, 2025, with additional test trials planned.
- Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers allowed negligence and wrongful death claims to proceed while dismissing some peripheral claims, ensuring the main cases continue toward trial.
March 2025: MDL Growth and Court Decisions Increase Pressure
- The MDL added 252 new cases, bringing the total number of lawsuits against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google to over 1,200.
- A Georgia family’s lawsuit highlighted severe harms, including addiction, eating disorders, and self-harm, tied to social media use.
- Internationally, French families continued pressing claims against TikTok for exposing children to harmful content.
- Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Google and Snap’s requests for early appeals, allowing public nuisance and negligence claims by school districts to proceed without delay, keeping litigation on track toward discovery and potential bellwether trials.
February 2025: Class Action Denied in Meta Privacy Case
- On January 27, 2025, a federal judge denied class-action status in a Meta data privacy lawsuit seeking $52 billion in damages, weakening plaintiffs’ leverage in privacy claims.
- The Social Media Addiction MDL grew to 974 cases, with families across the U.S. alleging that platforms designed addictive features targeting children and teens.
- Internationally, seven French families filed a lawsuit against TikTok over harmful content leading to tragic youth deaths, signaling expanding global litigation.
January 2025: Rulings Narrow and Advance Litigation
- A judge ruled Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg cannot be held personally liable in youth addiction lawsuits, keeping the focus on corporate accountability.
- Massachusetts’ lawsuit against Meta for allegedly causing social media addiction in young users will proceed.
- Fourteen states, including New York and California, sued TikTok, claiming its algorithms promote harmful content that impacts youth mental health.
- As of January, courts continue shaping key issues in the MDL, while related state cases advance.
Litigation Progress: October 2022 – December 2024
Growth of the MDL: The MDL steadily expanded as more families filed claims, with hundreds of cases joining from across the country.
Key Motions and Discovery: Throughout 2023, the court established procedures for evidence gathering, including disputes over access to internal documents from social media companies.
Expert Testimony: In 2024, the MDL focused on selecting expert witnesses to address how social media algorithms can contribute to addiction and mental health harm in teens.
Bellwether Selection Planning: By late 2024, the court began outlining criteria for selecting the first bellwether trials, an important step that helps determine how future cases may be valued and resolved.
These developments laid the groundwork for families to pursue justice and accountability from social media companies, demonstrating that courts are taking these claims seriously as the litigation moves forward.
October 13, 2022: Social Media Lawsuits Centralized in Federal Court
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation agreed to centralize all social media addiction lawsuits into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL) to streamline the legal process. The new MDL, titled In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Product Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3047), was assigned to the Northern District of California, where many major social media companies are headquartered.
Initially, 28 lawsuits from 17 different districts were consolidated, marking the first step toward efficiently handling these cases and working toward potential settlements for affected families.
One Real-Life Example of the Harm Social Media Can Cause
In Guerrero v. Meta Platforms, Inc. et al., a woman named Jessica Guerrero, filing on behalf of a minor plaintiff, alleged that the minor’s “addictive and problematic use” of Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram led to serious problems, including:
- Attempted suicide
- Suicidal ideation
- Severe anxiety
- Reduced ability to sleep, and
- Eating disorders
The legal basis for the lawsuit included the following factors:
- Design Defect: The lawsuit claims the social media platforms in question were unsafe for young users. They could have been designed to reduce the risk of harm to children, but instead they encouraged addictive behavior and serious harm.
- Manufacturing Defect: The complaint alleges that Meta developers failed to adhere to the original design of the platforms, which led to the platforms being less safe to use.
- Failure to Warn: The plaintiff claims the company never warned parents or young users about the physical, emotional, and mental risks of using the platforms.
- Negligence: The complaint states that the company was aware of the risks to young users, or should have been aware of them, but did not take steps to reconfigure its platforms to make them safer.
- Fraud: Lastly, the lawsuit claims the company marketed its platforms as safe, even though it knew using them was dangerous to children and teens. They also kept this information from the general public.
In general, the lawsuit explains how Meta and other social media companies are designed to be addictive by presenting a false reality regarding physical beauty and success to young users. That leads to low self-esteem and other adverse mental health effects.
These platforms also promote content encouraging young people to make negative comparisons between themselves and others, as well as facilitating others’ comments that can lead to bullying or negative impacts on the user.
What Physical and Emotional Harm May be Caused by Social Media?
Some reported harmful effects of excessive social media use include:
- depression
- anxiety
- body dysmorphia
- eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia
- suicidal ideation
- self-harm
- insomnia
- fatigue
- ADHD
- vision loss and eye strain
- severe headaches
Instead of disclosing the potential dangers of using social media to young users and their parents or redesigning their platforms to improve safety, these platforms have put profits over people.
Social media platforms have also facilitated and failed to prevent cyberbullying, leaving young users vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Social media companies have not adequately policed these platforms for child sexual predators who use social media to profile and groom susceptible minors. While social media companies have attempted to moderate and remove exploitative and abusive content, their techniques have been much more reactive than proactive.
What Compensation is Available Through a Social Media Harm Lawsuit?
If you have a child or young adult who suffered mental or physical harm due to excessive social media use, you could be entitled to recover compensation for various losses. The legal damages you might claim will depend on the specifics of your case. Common damages requested in these lawsuits include:
- Medical expenses, including therapy and mental health treatment costs, and ongoing medical care.
- Lost income of parents and other family members who take time off to help the injured child.
- Pain and suffering, including emotional trauma.
- Loss of enjoyment of life and impacts on the child’s education.
- Reduced earning capacity
- Punitive damages in some cases
Hach & Rose, LLP will work tirelessly to help you seek the maximum compensation available for the losses you and your child suffered as a result of social media harm. Contact our New York social media harm attorneys at (646) 603-1400 for a free consultation to discuss your unique situation and have your legal questions answered.
Why Choose Hach & Rose for Your Social Media Harm Lawsuit?
At Hach & Rose, we have a proven track record in representing families in complex product liability and mass tort cases. We understand the emotional and practical challenges families face when a child is harmed by a powerful corporation. We are committed to guiding you through the legal process with care, clarity, and tireless advocacy.
Take the First Step Toward Justice
If your child has suffered mental health issues linked to social media use, you may have a limited time to take legal action. Contact Hach & Rose today for a free, confidential case evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a social media company on behalf of my child?
Yes. Parents and guardians can file lawsuits on behalf of minors harmed by social media use.
What compensation can we seek in a social media lawsuit?
Families can seek compensation for therapy costs, medical expenses, emotional suffering, and impacts on education and social development.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Time limits vary by state. To protect your family’s rights, it is important to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
What if my child used multiple social media platforms?
You may still qualify to file a claim even if your child used multiple platforms.
Let Hach & Rose Fight for Your Family
When our children are being preyed upon by social media companies, they should be held accountable for prioritizing profits over the well-being of children. If you believe your child’s mental health struggles are linked to social media use, reach out to our team today.
Call (212) 779-0057 or fill out our online contact form for a free, no-obligation conference. We are here to help you take the next step toward holding irresponsible social media companies accountable and fighting for the financial recovery you deserve.