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Beginning in 2022, families across the United States started filing product liability lawsuits against some of the largest companies in the social media industry. These cases do not argue that social media is inherently harmful or that platforms should be held responsible simply for being popular with teenagers. They argue that certain platforms were deliberately engineered with design features that foreseeably produce compulsive use, and that the companies behind those features failed to adequately warn users or parents about the risks involved.
Lawsuits consolidated under MDL 3047 name most of the largest social media companies operating today. Defendants across the litigation include:
The central allegation across the litigation is that these companies built their platforms around features intended to maximize compulsive engagement, particularly among children and adolescents whose impulse control is still developing. Among the features cited most often are:
Plaintiffs argue these mechanics exploit known patterns in adolescent psychology, applied deliberately to a user base of millions of minors.
The harms described in these cases span mental health, physical health, and daily functioning:
Not every case involves every symptom, and not every diagnosis will meet the litigation's criteria. What matters most is whether a documented condition can be connected to a platform's specific design features, which is why a case evaluation looks closely at medical records and the platforms involved before determining eligibility.
Most defendants have pushed back on liability and raised defenses courts are still weighing. Their arguments are focused on Section 230 protection for platform content, parental responsibility for children's device use and the claim that plaintiffs have not sufficiently linked specific design choices to specific injuries. Plaintiffs argue?the cases are about engineering choices, not the existence or scope of the platforms.
MDL 3047 has consolidated more than 3,300 personal-injury lawsuits in the Northern District of California, along with actions from more than 140 school districts and over 30 state attorneys general. In 2024, a decision allowed much of the plaintiffs' product-design claims to go forward. In August 2026, Meta agreed to a settlement valued at up to roughly $16.68 billion with a coalition of states, without admitting wrongdoing, requiring changes including default time limits, nighttime restrictions, and non-personalized feed options for minors.
If your child developed a clinically diagnosed condition after compulsive use of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, or YouTube, the design decisions behind those platforms may support a legal claim. Our team has spent more than 35 years helping families assess whether they have a viable case and connecting those who qualify with attorneys prepared to represent them. Reach out today for a free and confidential case evaluation.