Social Media Harm & Addiction Lawsuits

Fighting for Children Harmed by Social Media – Nationwide Legal Help

Social media was supposed to connect and inspire – but for many families, it’s done the opposite. If your child or teen has suffered depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, or worse due to social media addiction or dangerous online content, you are not alone.

• At Pritzker Hageman, we combine decades of experience taking on Fortune 500 companies with a deep commitment to protecting children.
• We are more than experienced attorneys, we are parents ourselves, who are not afraid to stand up to social media giants on behalf of your family.
• Our team is here to hold platforms accountable for putting profits over children’s safety, and to seek justice for the harm your child has endured.

Why These Lawsuits Matter:

In recent years, evidence has piled up that social media platforms knowingly designed their apps to be addictive and harmful to young users. In just one example, internal documents from Facebook (Meta) revealed that the company knew Instagram was worsening body image issues for 1 in 3 teen girls, yet they failed to act. Across the country, lawsuits are now empowering families to fight back. More than 1,800 individuals and 29 states have joined a coordinated legal action to hold social media companies liable for the mental health crisis among youth.

• Frequency: In 2025, 36% of U.S. teens reported being victims of cyberbullying across all platforms, with LGBTQ+ youth being the most targeted group at 42%.
• Mental Health: Cyberbullying is linked to increased risks of depression, anxiety, social phobia, and sleep issues.
• Serious Outcomes: Reported consequences for teen victims in 2025 include self-harm (25%), suicidal thoughts (22% to 26%), and skipping school (20%). 

“These companies relentlessly pursued growth at all costs, recklessly ignoring the impact on children’s health.” (Time.com)

For parents, this litigation is about more than money – it’s about making social media safer for all children and demanding accountability from Big Tech. When billion-dollar corporations choose to prioritize gaining users over the safety of our kids, resulting in tragic outcomes, our civil justice system is the most powerful tool we have to force them to clean up the way they do business.

Does Your Child’s Situation Qualify?

You may be wondering if what happened to your child is truly caused by social media or if it merits a lawsuit. Here are some common scenarios in which families take legal action against social media companies:

• Social Media Addiction: Your child became obsessively hooked on an app (like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube), using it for many hours a day and as a result suffered issues like:
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Declining grades
  • Isolation
  • Insomnia
  • Exhibiting panic or anger when devices are taken away

Social media use among U.S. teens now averages about 4–5 hours per day, and those who spend over 3 hours daily have double the risk of depression and anxiety. If this sounds familiar, your family is exactly who these lawsuits aim to help.

• Eating Disorders or Body Image Harm: Exposure to endless images and videos promoting unrealistic bodies, diets, or fitness can trigger eating disorders (like anorexia or bulimia) in vulnerable teens. For example, one college student suing Meta and TikTok developed a severe anorexia disorder after algorithm-driven content “overtook every thought” with extreme diet and workout obsession. If your daughter or son went down a similar path – starting with innocent searches for health or beauty content and spiraling into body dysmorphia or disordered eating – the social media platforms’ algorithms may be to blame for amplifying that harmful content.
• Self-Harm or Suicide: In a few tragic cases, some lawsuits involve teens who engaged in self-harm or even took their own lives after being negatively influenced through social media. This could be due to bullying messages, viewing self-harm imagery that was algorithmically promoted, or simply the depression and hopelessness exacerbated by social comparison online. If you lost a child to suicide and believe social media played a role, or your child has engaged in self-harm behaviors linked to things they saw or experienced on these apps, we understand how devastating this is. Our team approaches these cases with utmost compassion and determination to find answers. No parent should have to endure such loss without accountability for those responsible.
• Dangerous “Challenges” and Content: TikTok and YouTube in particular have been hotspots for viral “challenges” that encourage dangerous stunts. These include promoting ingesting harmful substances, asphyxiation games, and even jumping in front of moving vehicles. These challenges can end with serious, even deadly, consequences. Snapchat has had issues with features like the “speed filter” that seemingly encouraged reckless driving (and led to fatal accidents). If your child was harmed participating in a viral challenge or due to a reckless act tied to a social media trend, you may have a case against the platform for failing to remove the content or at least warn viewers.
• Online Exploitation or Predation: Some lawsuits (and state Attorneys General actions) target how social media apps enable predators and drug dealers to reach kids. For instance, Snapchat has been sued for facilitating illegal drug sales to minors (like fentanyl-laced pills causing overdoses). While federal law (Section 230) gives platforms some immunity for user-generated content, there are exceptions when the platform’s design contributes to the harm. If your child was targeted by an abuser, trafficker, or drug dealer through social media, contact us – in certain cases, there may be grounds to hold the platform liable (especially if known design flaws or lack of safeguards played a role).

If you see your family’s experience in any of the above, reach out to us for a free, confidential consultation. We will listen to your story with empathy and give an honest assessment of your legal options. Not every negative social media experience is grounds for a lawsuit, but many cases are not immediately obvious. Our attorneys work with mental health experts and investigators to connect the dots (for example, by reviewing social media data, chat logs, and app usage patterns) to see if and how a platform’s algorithms or features contributed to a child’s harm.

How Can Social Media Companies Be Held Liable?

People often ask, “Can you really sue Facebook/Instagram/TikTok? Don’t they have immunity?” It’s true that social media companies have historically been shielded by laws like Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects platforms from liability for what users post. However, our lawsuits do not blame the platforms for user posts. We instead focus on the products’ defective design and negligence. In other words, these cases treat apps like a product that can be unsafe if designed improperly (just as a defective toy or car can injure a child).

Key legal arguments include:

• Product Defect (Design): The platforms are designed with algorithms and features (infinite scroll, “likes,” auto-play videos, etc.) that deliberately exploit young users’ psychology to maximize screen time. This addictive design is a product defect, analogous to a manufacturer adding an addictive chemical to food knowing it causes harm. For example, internal Meta emails showed efforts to increase teen usage even as research showed more use led to more harm. We argue these design choices are negligent and unreasonably dangerous to minors.
• Failure to Warn: Even aside from design, platforms knew of serious risks (e.g., Facebook knew by 2019 that Instagram could lead to mental health issues in teens). Yet, they provided no warnings to users or parents about these risks, and did little to enhance parental controls or limits. Under product liability law, if a product has non-obvious dangers, the company must warn consumers. Social media companies utterly failed to warn families about what they internally called “problematic use” or addiction potential in teens – this is a strong angle in many cases.
• Consumer Protection Violations: Some states (like California, Minnesota, etc.) have consumer protection statutes against deceptive practices. Attorneys General are suing claiming these companies misled users about safety and targeted kids knowingly. In a private lawsuit, we can invoke those laws too if the platforms violated obligations by misrepresenting themselves as safe or by marketing to underage users (despite terms saying “13+” many under-13 kids are on, which companies have winked at).

The bottom line: courts are increasingly allowing these cases to proceed. Judges have ruled that Section 230 and First Amendment protections do not shield platforms from claims attacking their product features and lack of safety measures, as opposed to holding them liable for specific content. This is a positive sign – it means your case can have teeth, and these companies can be made to answer for their design decisions in front of a jury.

Which Platforms Are Involved?

Our Social Media Litigation Team is investigating and pursuing cases involving all major platforms. This includes but isn’t limited to:

• Instagram and Facebook (Meta): Instagram is heavily implicated in teen girls’ body image and eating disorder cases. Meta’s own research admitted harm, and state and federal lawsuits have Meta as a primary defendant. Facebook itself (though less popular with teens now) is part of Meta and has features like groups that have led youth down dangerous rabbit holes too. We are holding Meta accountable on multiple fronts, including how it failed to enact meaningful changes despite knowing the harm.
• TikTok: The most downloaded app by teens in recent years, TikTok’s algorithm is famed for its uncanny ability to keep users hooked. Unfortunately, it can also funnel kids into very toxic content spirals (e.g., extreme diet or self-harm content after a single “innocent” search). TikTok is also known for viral challenges – some deadly. Cases against TikTok involve both general addiction and specific challenge tragedies. The State of Minnesota’s lawsuit even calls TikTok’s algorithm an “addiction machine” targeting youth.
• Snapchat: Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging and youth popularity come with unique harms. We’re looking at cases where Snap’s design (like notifications that encourage constant checking, Snap Map revealing location, or the infamous speed filter) directly led to injuries. Additionally, Snap has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent drug dealers using the app to reach kids – leading to overdoses. If your child was harmed via Snapchat in any way, we want to hear about it.
• YouTube (Google): YouTube (and YouTube Kids) use recommendation algorithms that can lead children from harmless videos to extreme or disturbing content quickly. Nevada’s Attorney General recently sued YouTube alongside other platforms for creating addictive experiences that “have directly harmed the state’s youth”. We are also examining YouTube’s role in fostering dependence and its lack of effective age verification.
• Roblox: Roblox, one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms with 58 million daily users (40% under the age of 12), has had ongoing problems with predators grooming children, inappropriate sexual content, financial exploitation of children, cyberbullying and addiction.
• Discord : Discord, originally a gamer centered chat platform, but now popular among many communities, has a large teenage and younger userbase; it has been connected to teen harms including cyberbullying, exposure to adult content, and others. While not as many lawsuits name Discord yet, we stay up-to-date and are prepared to include any platform if the evidence shows it contributed to a child’s harm.
• Character.AI and other AI chatbots: Recently our attorneys have been spending an increasing amount of time investigating Character.AI and other AI chatbots – as technology evolves, our mission remains the same: protect children, whatever the digital source of harm.
• Yubo and other emerging “Teen Meetup” apps: Yubo is a social media app explicitly marketed as a way to meet new people via live streaming and chatting. Launched in 2015 (originally called Yellow), Yubo has been described as a “Tinder for Teens” and allows users (aged 13 and up) to swipe through profiles, add new friends, and join live video rooms with up to 10 streamers and hundreds of watchers. Yubo is is increasingly being seen as risky, with adult predators, problems with nudity and violent and bullying content frequently being cited as problems. Yubo is only one of several newer social apps popular with teens. Others include Wizz (a swipe-to-chat app very similar to Yubo), Hoop (connects with Snapchat for finding new Snap friends), and Omegle (a video chat app that connects teens with random people). All these share the theme of connecting teens with strangers, which is inherently risky for minors.

Our Approach – Why Choose Pritzker Hageman?

Choosing a lawyer for a case like this is a big decision. Here’s what sets our firm apart in the social media litigation landscape:

• Proven Experience vs. Corporate Giants: We are a nationally recognized personal injury firm that has won cases against some of the world’s largest companies. Big Tech is the new frontier, but our track record gives us the legal firepower and experience needed to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Meta, ByteDance (TikTok), and Google in court. We understand complex litigation and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients over the years by relentlessly advocating for justice.
• Compassionate, Client-Centered Representation: These cases are deeply personal and often painful. We never forget that behind every lawsuit is a hurting child and a family seeking answers. Our attorneys and support team take a trauma-informed approach, meaning we handle your case with sensitivity and care for your well-being. You will have direct communication with the lawyers handling your case. We are here to answer your questions, update you regularly, and even connect you with support resources. In a time of crisis, you deserve top-notch legal skill and also genuine compassion.
• Multidisciplinary Knowledge: These cases sit at the crossroads of technology, psychology, and law. Our legal team consults with experts in child psychology, psychiatry, social media algorithms, and digital forensics. Our experts can parse through data of your child’s social media usage to establish patterns (like night-time usage causing sleep deprivation, drastic increases in usage before a mental health crisis, etc.), and use expert testimony to explain to a jury how the platform’s design caused those outcomes. Our knowledge enables us to build a compelling case that is grounded in science and fact.
• No Fees Unless We Win: We operate on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing upfront and no legal fees at all unless we recover compensation for you through a settlement or verdict. We make this promise because we believe in these cases and we don’t want cost to be a barrier for any family seeking help. We also advance all costs of litigation (for experts, filing fees, etc.), and those are only repaid if we win. In short: you have zero financial risk in hiring us – we shoulder the risk, because we’re confident in our ability to help.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

Every case is unique, and we always fight for accountability and change. Getting justice for you is our number one goal. As part of that we fight for the financial recovery you deserve. It can provide resources for treatment and acknowledge your family’s pain. Depending on the specifics, we will fight to recover damages for:

• Medical and Therapy Bills: Past and future costs for hospitalizations, therapy, counseling, medication, or residential treatment programs related to your child’s mental health or injuries from social media-related incidents.
• Mental Anguish and Pain & Suffering: The law recognizes the intangible trauma – the nights of anguish, the toll on your child’s well-being, the grief if you lost a child. These non-economic damages can often exceed the economic costs, especially in severe cases.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life or Opportunities: If social media addiction derailed your child’s education, extracurriculars, or normal development, we will explain those losses.
• Parental Loss of Consortium: Some jurisdictions allow parents to recover for the loss of companionship and affection of a child who has been severely harmed. While not all states allow this, we will pursue it where possible.
• Punitive Damages: In cases of egregious corporate misconduct, punitive damages might be sought to punish the companies. punitive damages are essentially additional sums meant to send a message. For example, internal memos ordering algorithm designers to “capture more teen users” despite stated policies that they do not target teens because they know it harms them may show a conscious disregard for safety that juries may find outrageous.

We will discuss what damages apply in your situation. Our team’s objective is to maximize compensation so that your child can get all the help they need and the companies feel a real penalty for their actions.

Take the Next Step – Free Consultation

We know this is a lot of information, and you likely have more questions. The best way to get answers is to speak with us directly. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to evaluate your potential case. Anything you share with us is confidential and privileged. We can also simply provide guidance – maybe you’re not sure you want to sue, but you want to understand your rights or what signs to look for in your child. We’re happy to be a resource.

When you contact Pritzker Hageman:

• You’ll talk to a knowledgeable attorney who will listen to your story with care. We may ask some questions about your child’s social media use, their symptoms or diagnosis, and any timeline of events. This helps us gauge the connection and legal viability.
• We will honestly advise you on the strength of your case. If we think more information is needed, we might suggest obtaining certain medical records or social media data (we can guide you on how).
• If we mutually decide to proceed, we will explain the attorney-client agreement, and your family becomes our priority. We handle everything from that point: investigation, filing, litigation – keeping you informed during each step.

Call us at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856 or contact us online using the form below. We can arrange meetings via phone or Zoom for convenience, or in-person if you prefer. We represent clients nationwide, so distance is not an issue.

Together, Let’s Demand Change:

By taking a stand, you’re not only seeking justice for your child but also helping force changes in how these platforms operate. Already, thanks to brave families speaking up, there is increasing public and legal pressure on social media companies to put safety first. Your voice and case can add to that momentum.

Pritzker Hageman is here to stand with you in this fight. Our mission is to ensure no more families have to go through what you have, and that those who allowed this harm are held accountable. The law is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect our children’s futures. Let’s use it together.

Reach out today for your free case evaluation. We are ready to listen, help, and fight for you.

References: Many factual claims above are supported by emerging research and litigation records, such as the statistic that heavy social media use doubles teen depression risk and internal admissions by platforms about harm. For more on the current lawsuits and evidence, see sources like the TIME magazine report on the coordinated case, and others cited throughout this page. We stay up-to-date as new information comes to light in this fast-evolving area.