Meta Platforms, Google's YouTube, ByteDance-owned TikTok and Snap Inc., the parent of Snapchat, are facing thousands of lawsuits in the United States brought by states, school districts and individuals. The suits accuse the companies of intentionally designing their platforms to keep young users addicted.
The companies have denied that their products contributed to depression, anxiety, body image problems and a wider youth mental health crisis, saying they take steps to protect younger users on their platforms.
The firms also argue that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields them from claims based on content posted by their own users. Despite that defence, the lawsuits have piled pressure on the social media companies as lawmakers consider stricter rules aimed at protecting young people.
Lawsuits Filed by States
Nearly every US state has sued social media companies such as Meta or TikTok over the platforms' alleged impact on children. The suits seek damages or financial penalties, along with court orders forcing the companies to make significant changes to their platforms.
A lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico accused Meta of failing to protect young users from sexual exploitation on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and of misleading consumers about the platforms' safety.
In March, a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million (about 1.9 billion reais) in civil penalties. In a second phase of the case, the judge ruled that Meta had created a "public nuisance" in the state by harming children, ordering the company to pay a further $567 million (roughly 2.9 billion reais) and directing it to put youth safety measures in place. Meta said it would appeal.
A similar trial is under way in a state court in Nashville, Tennessee, over allegations that Meta violated the state's consumer protection law. Tennessee is seeking financial penalties and a court order requiring Instagram to change aspects of the platform the state considers harmful to teenagers' mental health.
A federal trial in California, which began on August 12, is testing claims by Colorado, Kentucky, California and New Jersey that Meta designed its platforms to keep young people addicted and misled consumers about their safety. The trial will also address accusations from 29 states that Meta illegally collected and used children's data in violation of federal law.
Lawsuits Filed by School Districts
More than 1,000 school districts across the country have filed lawsuits alleging that the companies designed their platforms to keep young users addicted, contributing to episodes of anxiety, depression and self-harm and leaving schools to deal with the fallout.
The districts are seeking compensation for what they say they have spent addressing the effects of social media on students, as well as additional funding to limit that impact going forward.
A small rural school district in eastern Kentucky was chosen as the first school district case to go to trial, but the proceeding, scheduled for June, was called off after the companies reached settlements with the district. Public records showed the district will receive $27 million (about 139.4 million reais) under the terms of the deal.
Lawsuits Filed by Individuals
More than 3,300 lawsuits, most of them filed by individuals against the companies, have been consolidated in a Los Angeles state court, while a smaller group of cases is proceeding in federal courts.
In the first trial to test an individual's claim that social media caused personal harm, a young woman alleged that her addiction to social media led to depression and anxiety. The case was chosen as the first bellwether, or test case, for the consolidated state court lawsuits.
Lawyers typically use verdicts in bellwether cases to gauge how juries might view similar claims, which helps them estimate the potential value of the remaining lawsuits and guides settlement talks. Snap Inc. and ByteDance, TikTok's parent, both defendants in the case, settled before the trial began.
In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for negligence, ordering Meta to pay $4.2 million in damages and Google to pay $1.8 million (9 million reais). Both companies said they would appeal.
A second individual trial, scheduled for July in Los Angeles, involved a teenager from Florida who said he began using social media around age 8 and suffered depression and anxiety as a result. That trial was called off after the plaintiff settled with TikTok, Snap and Google, and withdrew his claims against Meta just days before the trial date.
Three more bellwether cases have been selected to move forward in California state court this autumn, and TikTok has preliminarily agreed to settle those cases, a lawyer told Reuters. Claims against Meta, Google and Snap in those cases will continue.
