TCAI guide: What parents should know about the social media addiction trials

March 3, 2026 — The world’s largest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them accountable for harms to children who use their products.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, and Google, which owns YouTube, face claims that their platforms were deliberately designed to addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap (owner of Snapchat) are also named as defendants in many of the lawsuits.

Here’s a brief overview of the trials and what they mean for parents, kids, and families.

what’s the claim?

The plaintiffs claim that the social media companies caused personal injury to children and should be held accountable for that harm. Once young people are hooked, the plaintiffs allege, they fall prey to depression, eating disorders, self-harm and other mental health issues.

One of the key allegations made by the plaintiffs is that the tech companies knew about the harm their products caused kids and did nothing to stop or reduce that harm. Another claim is that these social media products were specifically designed to be addictive, like cigarettes or slot machines.

What features are addictive and/or harmful?

The lawsuits argue that features like infinite scroll, auto video play and algorithmic recommendations have led to compulsive social media use and caused depression, eating disorders and self-harm.

How significant are these trials?

The trials are being likened to the Big Tobacco trials of the 1990s, in which major cigarette manufacturers were found to have known about and hidden health risks, and targeted minors. Those trials resulted in billions of dollars in damages and the adoption of major marketing restrictions.

If the social media trials result in significant findings of harm and liability, those decisions could have a profound impact on the design and marketing of social media products. Companies like Meta could be subject to massive financial damage awards and be forced to redesign their platforms to stop the harms alleged in the lawsuits.

“The fact that a social media company is going to have to stand trial before a jury … is unprecedented,” Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center and an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a press briefing.

Sacha Haworth, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project, said: “These are the trials of a generation; just as the world watched courtrooms hold Big Tobacco and Big Pharma accountable, we will, for the first time, see Big Tech CEOs like Zuckerberg take the stand. Dozens of state attorneys general, thousands of families, and school districts nationwide are building the legal architecture to protect young people and future generations. The world is watching, Meta’s reckoning has arrived, and the consequences have just begun.”

How many lawsuits are there?

Hundreds of individuals, school districts, and state attorneys general have filed liability lawsuits against Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google (as the parent company of YouTube).

Approximately 1,600 plaintiffs are included in the proceedings, involving more than 350 families and 250 school districts.

Because there are so many lawsuits, judges have coordinated them all in what is known as a judicial council coordination proceeding (JCCP).

JCCPs are used in product liability cases where dozens or hundreds of similar lawsuits are filed. They are also used in employment class actions, toxic exposure cases, and litigation involving wildfires, data breaches, or consumer fraud. Some well-known JCCPs have involved Roundup, talcum powder, opioids, and wildfire damages.

Why are these early trials important?

Some 22 lawsuits have been selected as “bellwether” trials, which are used as test cases to gauge juries’ reactions and potential verdicts. In other words: To see whether all the other lawsuits have a reasonable chance of success or not. Of those 22, three have been chosen to proceed to trial first.

Two trials got underway in February. One is in Los Angeles, the other in Santa Fe. A third trial is expected to start in Oakland in June.

Los Angeles: In a California state court in Los Angeles, a 20-year-old woman stands as the plaintiff. She’s identified as K.G.M., due to her status as a minor when the social media interactions occurred.

K.G.M. created a YouTube account at age 8, then joined Instagram at 9; TikTok at 10; and Snapchat at 11. In her lawsuit, she claims she became addicted to the social media sites as a child and experienced anxiety, depression and body-image issues as a result.

Nine cases are expected to be heard in the series of trials in Los Angeles, beginning with K.G.M.’s.

Santa Fe: The trial now underway in Santa Fe pits the New Mexico attorney general’s office against Meta. The state alleges that the company knowingly enabled predators to use Facebook and Instagram to exploit children.

Oakland: A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

In this series of cases, school districts and states plan to argue that social media is a public nuisance and that they have had to shoulder the costs of treating a generation of youths suffering from addictive social media use.

How are the tech companies responding?

Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube all argue that there is no clear scientific link between tech use and addiction. They are expected to claim that there is no causal link between their products and the harm suffered by young users.

The social media companies also plan to cite a federal shield law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, that protects them from liability for what their users post online.

Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said in its opening statement that K.G.M.’s mental health issues were caused by familial abuse and turmoil. The company presented medical records to show that social media addiction was not a focus of her therapy sessions.

did some tech companies settle prior to trial?

Yes and no. TikTok and Snap settled their claims with K.G.M. prior to the opening of the Los Angeles trial last month. But the two tech companies settled only their part in the K.G.M. lawsuit.

TikTok and Snap are still defendants in more than a dozen other trials expected in state and federal courts this year.

What evidence is being uncovered?

As in many civil trials, the evidence uncovered as part of the discovery process offers an unprecedented glimpse behind the curtain.

The evidence uncovered in the social media addiction trials has been especially eye-opening.

So many documents (emails, reports, etc.) have been filed in these cases that a team at the Tech Oversight Project has created a web site repository:

Tech Oversight Project: Evidence Uncovered

Example: “Goal is not viewership, it’s viewer addiction” (YouTube internal document)

Example: “Mark has decided that the top priority for the company […] is teens.” (Meta internal email, re CEO Mark Zuckerberg)

How long will the trials last?

These first trials are expected to run for about eight weeks.

Beyond that, it’s hard to say. If the early trials result in findings of liability and deep damage awards, that may open the floodgates to dozens if not hundreds more trials for years to come.

Another possible outcome could be a master settlement agreement along the lines of that reached in the tobacco cases of the late 1990s.

Further coverage:

PBS News Hour: Landmark trial accusing tech giants of harming children

The New York Times: What to know about the social media addiction trials

The Guardian: Tech giants head to landmark US trial over social media addiction claims

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