Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults.

A federal court has ruled that Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap must face lawsuits accusing their social media platforms of having detrimental effects on children’s mental health.

The court rejected the social media giants’ motion to dismiss dozens of lawsuits that alleged their platforms were addictive to kids.

These lawsuits were filed by school districts across the United States, claiming physical and emotional harm to children.

The ruling states that the First Amendment and Section 230, which shields online platforms from being treated as publishers of third-party content, do not protect these companies from all liability in this case.

The judge noted that many of the claims made by the plaintiffs relate to alleged platform defects, such as insufficient parental controls, a lack of robust age verification systems, and a cumbersome account deletion process.

Addressing these defects, according to the judge, would not require changing how or what content the companies disseminate.

However, some other claimed defects, like the use of “addictive” algorithms and not placing limits on the amount of time spent on the platforms, were protected under Section 230.

The lead lawyers representing the plaintiffs hailed the court’s ruling as a significant victory for families harmed by the dangers of social media.

The ruling challenges the tech companies’ claims that Section 230 and the First Amendment grant them blanket immunity for the harm their platforms cause to users.

Google defended its actions, stating that the allegations in the complaints were not true and that it had implemented age-appropriate experiences for kids on YouTube.

Snap declined to comment, while Meta and ByteDance had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

This ruling has the potential to open the door for more safety claims against social media platforms, even without new laws, and may make it more challenging for these platforms to defend themselves legally against such claims.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults.

A federal court has ruled that Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap must face a lawsuit accusing their social media platforms of having detrimental effects on children’s mental health.

The court rejected the social media giants’ motion to dismiss dozens of lawsuits that alleged their platforms were addictive to kids.

These lawsuits were filed by school districts across the United States, claiming physical and emotional harm to children.

The ruling states that the First Amendment and Section 230, which shields online platforms from being treated as publishers of third-party content, do not protect these companies from all liability in this case.

The judge noted that many of the claims made by the plaintiffs relate to alleged platform defects, such as insufficient parental controls, a lack of robust age verification systems, and a cumbersome account deletion process.

Addressing these defects, according to the judge, would not require changing how or what content the companies disseminate.

However, some other claimed defects, like the use of “addictive” algorithms and not placing limits on the amount of time spent on the platforms, were protected under Section 230.

The lead lawyers representing the plaintiffs hailed the court’s ruling as a significant victory for families harmed by the dangers of social media.

The ruling challenges the tech companies’ claims that Section 230 and the First Amendment grant them blanket immunity for the harm their platforms cause to users.

Google defended its actions, stating that the allegations in the complaints were not true and that it had implemented age-appropriate experiences for kids on YouTube.

Snap declined to comment, while Meta and ByteDance had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

This ruling has the potential to open the door for more safety claims against social media platforms, even without new laws, and may make it more challenging for these platforms to defend themselves legally against such claims.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults.

YouTube announced new restrictions on the recommendation of certain videos related to body image and social aggression to teenage users in the U.S., aiming to address concerns about their impact on mental health.

The platform, responding to a surge in lawsuits against social media companies, has limited the exposure of content that idealizes specific body features or showcases non-contact fights and intimidation to reduce potential harm if viewed repeatedly.

The change applies specifically to teen users in the U.S., with plans to expand to other countries gradually.

YouTube is working with experts and its Youth and Families Advisory Committee to assess the impact of online content on teen mental wellbeing.

The platform also emphasized its commitment to enforcing Community Guidelines, removing content that violates policies related to safety, hate speech, and harassment.

Additionally, YouTube is enhancing features like Take a Break and Bedtime reminders, introduced in 2018, and expanding crisis resource panels for users searching content related to self-harm or suicide.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults. 

A group of 42 attorney generals from various states are suing Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, claiming that these social media platforms are designed to be addictive and target children and teenagers.

This bipartisan effort, with support from attorneys general of different political backgrounds, represents a significant legal challenge to Meta’s business.

The lawsuits allege that Meta intentionally designed its platforms to keep young users engaged through algorithms, alerts, notifications, and infinite scrolling features.

They also accuse Meta of negatively affecting teens’ mental health by promoting social comparison and body image issues.

Furthermore, Meta is accused of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data on users under 13 without parental consent.

The states involved in these lawsuits seek to put an end to what they see as harmful practices by Meta, as well as penalties and restitution.

The attorneys general claim that Meta was aware of the detrimental effects of its design on young users, citing internal research documents that were leaked by a whistleblower.

The attorneys general argue that this legal action is part of a broader industry-wide investigation into the practices of social media companies, and it could lead to settlement talks or individual litigation against other companies with similar practices.

The lawsuits reflect the bipartisan interest in consumer protection issues related to online safety, and they align with the focus on protecting children’s safety and mental health online at the national level.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults. 

Companies including Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., TikTok Inc., and Google LLC faced multiple lawsuits on the grounds that their social media platforms cause addiction and harm to children.

A Los Angeles county judge, Carolyn B. Kuhl, rejected the companies’ legal defenses, stating that they cannot use the First Amendment or the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 to block allegations that their platforms were designed to addict young people, causing depression and anxiety.

The lawsuits introduced a novel legal theory treating social media platforms as defectively designed products to bypass Section 230 protections.

The judge clarified that the plaintiffs are holding the companies responsible for how they designed and operated their platforms, not for the content on them.

A similar case is ongoing in federal court in California, potentially serving as a precedent for these state-level cases.

The decision is seen as significant for the families represented in these cases, and a hearing in the federal multidistrict case is scheduled for October 27th.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

The tech companies are seeking dismissal of the cases, arguing that the alleged conduct causing harm is protected under Section 230, an internet liability shield that generally exempts internet companies from third-party content liability.

The school districts and families contend that the social media companies have created an addictive product, not just content, and thus shouldn’t enjoy Section 230 protections.

Tech companies are claiming that the alleged harm of this case will open the floodgates for more future litigations.

A similar case against Snap was allowed to proceed by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In May 2021, the court ruled in favor of the parents of two boys who died in a car crash while driving at a high speed.

The parents had filed a lawsuit against Snap alleging negligent product design.

The court allowed the lawsuit to proceed, indicating that Snap could be held liable for the alleged negligent design of the product.

The number of plaintiffs is expected to increase as more school districts consider joining the litigation.

Legal experts have raised questions about whether the school districts can successfully prove that social media apps are a public nuisance and directly harmed schools.

However, individual plaintiffs, including parents of teens suffering from severe mental health issues or suicide, have filed separate suits against the tech companies, seeking liability for defective product design and negligence.

The school districts’ lawsuits are seen as an attempt to bypass Section 230 protections and make social media companies pay for perceived harms caused by their platforms.

Our law firm is continuing its investigation and we are speaking to clients daily about their situations.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Schools and individuals are continuing to file lawsuits against major social media platforms for mental health effects on teens and young adults. 

Nearly 200 school districts are suing social media companies, including Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube.

These lawsuits allege that the apps cause disciplinary problems and mental health issues in classrooms, diverting resources from education.

The school districts are claiming that teachers and administrators waste valuable time dealing with cyberbullying and other social media-related disciplinary problems.

They also argue that the addictive nature of these apps leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts in students.

There are also individual lawsuits against the tech companies, seeking to hold them liable for defective product design and negligence, with tragic cases involving severe anorexia and a teen’s suicide, among others.

Our law firm is currently accepting new clients for individual lawsuits against social media companies for mental health problems, eating disorders, and other related diagnoses. 

Amid the increasing scrutiny and lawsuits Meta is facing for Instagram and Facebook’s effects on teenagers’ mental health, Meta has announced new parental measures that aim to alleviate the issue.

Now, when a teen blocks someone on Instagram, they will receive a notice that encourages them to set up parental controls.

The teen can accept or decline the notice, and only if they accept the notice will the parental controls be activated.

These controls would allow parents to see who their child is following and being followed by, view their child’s screen time on the app, and set time limits for app usage.

While the parental controls do allow parents to see more into their child’s social media usage, it does not allow parents to view any messages the child is sending or content the child is consuming.

This has drawn criticism especially as Surgeon General Vivek Murthy increases his warnings of the dangers these apps can have on mental health.

Recently in a Senate hearing about youth mental health, the surgeon general said he would support legislation that forced social media sites to have warning messages pop up for its users every time they logged in.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

Additional school districts and cities have filed lawsuits against Facebook and Instagram (owned by Meta) and TikTok for their contributions to the ongoing mental health crisis in adolescents.

The suits mention a Centers for Disease Control statistic that says between 2007 to 2018, the suicide rate for people ages 10 to 24 years increased by nearly 60%.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a national advisory on May 23th stating that social media creates a “profound risk” to teen mental health, citing growing research and evidence that daily social media usage increases the risk of depression and anxiety among teens.

Murthy said the guidelines social media companies have created to combat mental health issues are inadequate.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) has filed a lawsuit against social media companies, including TikTok and Instagram, citing damages and a growing mental health crisis among students.

The lawsuit seeks accountability, tools, and resources to address the lack of protections and controls on social media platforms.

CMCSS has observed an increase in mental health issues, cyberbullying, threats of school violence, and inappropriate content linked to students’ use of social media.

The school district, with over 38,000 students, believes that without cooperation from social media companies, they have been facing challenges in protecting children and maintaining a safe learning environment.

This lawsuit is similar to other cases filed by school districts and public agencies across the country against social media companies.

Our lawyers are investigating legal action on behalf of individuals who have suffered from chronic social media use.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

The investigation into legal action against social media companies for mental health effects on users is ongoing.

The investigation into legal action against social media companies for mental health effects on users is ongoing.

Our Social Media Harm Lawyers are speaking to potential clients daily and strategizing next steps.

Several school districts and state agencies have filed lawsuits against Meta and Instagram recently.

These claims only speak to the depth of the issues at hand. Social media companies have made billions of dollars in profits while young users deal with mental health effects brought on by chronic usage.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.

The investigation into potential lawsuits for mental health effects from social media use is ongoing.

Several agencies, school districts and others have begun filing suit against Facebook (Meta) and other social media companies over the impacts they’ve had on young users.

If you or a loved one have experienced mental health effects due to social media use, you may be eligible to file a claim.

Contact TorHoerman Law or use the chatbot on this page to see if you qualify.