Social media apps were built to keep kids scrolling. Families across the country say that design hurt their children. Thousands of lawsuits now claim that Meta (Instagram and Facebook), TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube knew their apps could harm young users and did not warn parents.
If your child used social media often and later struggled with depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, self-harm, or worse, your family may be able to file a claim. Pulaski Law Firm is reviewing these cases now. The review is free.
If you know of or are concerned about someone who may be suicidal, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Text TALK to 741741. If it is a medical emergency, call 911.
These are product liability cases. They are not about one bad post or video. They are about how the apps were designed.
The lawsuits say the companies:
Courts have let these design claims move forward. In March 2026, a jury agreed for the first time that a social media company could be held responsible for designing a product that harmed a young user.
Other platforms may also be named as the cases grow.
Mental health conditions
Serious injuries
If your child’s condition needed treatment from a doctor, therapist, or hospital, that matters. Medical records help show the harm.
You may have a claim if:
Parents and guardians can file for a child under 18. Young adults who were harmed as kids may be able to file for themselves. Families who lost a child may also have a claim.
Every state has deadlines for filing a lawsuit. Some deadlines work differently for minors. Do not wait to find out if time is running out on your claim.
Updated November 5, 2026. Pulaski Law Firm was not counsel in the cases below unless noted.
November 2, 2026: Snap settled with both young plaintiffs in the second Los Angeles social media addiction trial. That ended the trial during jury selection, before opening statements. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube had already settled with them.
October 30, 2026: Meta settled with a young woman from Mississippi during jury selection in that trial, after settling with the other plaintiff earlier that week.
October 2026: The federal case grew to 3,824 pending lawsuits, up by more than 600 in one month.
August 26, 2026: The federal court approved Meta’s settlement with a group of states. Meta agreed to set daily and nighttime time limits for teen accounts, improve age checks, and add stronger parental controls. This deal does not end the claims filed by families.
May 21, 2026: Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube each settled with a Kentucky school district a few weeks before the first federal school district trial, which was set for June. More school district trials are set for 2027.
March 25, 2026: A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for designing apps that harmed a young woman who started using social media as a child. The jury awarded $6 million in total. The trial judge later upheld the verdict, and the companies have appealed. Snap and TikTok settled with her before trial.
March 24, 2026: In a separate case brought by the State of New Mexico, a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading users about how safe its apps were for kids.
November 14, 2023: The federal judge rejected the companies’ attempt to throw out most of the claims.
October 6, 2022: Federal social media addiction lawsuits were combined into one case before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California: In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047. A separate group of California state cases is before Judge Carolyn Kuhl in Los Angeles (JCCP No. 5255).
Past results do not guarantee a similar result in any other case.
Every case is different. Depending on the facts, a claim may seek money for:
These cases also push the companies to make their apps safer for every child.
Justice first, fees later. Pulaski Law Firm handles these cases on a contingency basis, so you pay no attorney’s fees unless we win your case. You may be responsible for case costs and expenses, depending on your agreement.
Doctors and researchers have linked heavy social media use in kids to depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and eating disorders. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General warned that social media can pose a serious risk to young people’s mental health.
Possibly. The first person to win at trial was a young adult who started using social media as a child. Contact us to talk about the timing in your case.
Not to start. They can help later. Please do not delete accounts, apps, or messages, because they may be important evidence.
No. Most of these are individual lawsuits grouped together so they move faster. Each family keeps its own case and its own recovery.
Nothing. The case review is free.
Most cases settle without a trial. If your case does go to trial, we will prepare your family every step of the way.
If social media hurt your child, you are not alone, and it is not your fault. These apps were built by some of the biggest companies in the world to be hard to put down. Contact Pulaski Law Firm for a free, private case review.
Call (800) 711-8989
