Case tracker

Teen mental health lawsuits & cases

Suits alleging social platforms knowingly harmed adolescent mental health (depression, anxiety, eating disorders) through addictive design and harmful content recommendation.

3 tracked cases

• Ongoing

  Filed Oct 24, 2023

  State AG Coalition v. Meta Platforms (youth mental health)

  Meta/Instagram · United States (42 states/territories; 33 in the federal suit)

  A bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys general sued Meta in federal and state courts, with 33 states joining a federal complaint in the Northern District of California. The suit alleges Meta knowingly designed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook that harm young users and collected data from children under 13 without parental consent in violation of state consumer-protection laws and COPPA.

• Ongoing

  Joined Jun 7, 2023

  Spokane Public Schools social media youth-harm suit

  Meta/Instagram, Snap/Snapchat, TikTok/ByteDance, Google/YouTube · United States (Washington)

  The Spokane Public Schools board voted in June 2023 to join the wave of school-district lawsuits (following Seattle) against the operators of TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. The complaint alleges the companies intentionally market to youth and affirmatively recommend harmful content, contributing to rising depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and bullying among students.

• Ongoing

  Filed Jan 6, 2023

  Seattle Public Schools v. Meta Platforms, et al.

  Meta/Instagram, Snap/Snapchat, TikTok/ByteDance, Google/YouTube · United States (Washington)

  Seattle Public Schools became the first U.S. school district to sue the operators of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube, alleging the companies' platforms contributed to a youth mental-health crisis by recommending harmful content such as pro-eating-disorder material. The complaint frames the claim around the companies' own design conduct to avoid Section 230 immunity, and was later folded into the broader social-media litigation.

Informational summaries compiled from public sources cited on each case page. Not legal advice. Verify current status with primary sources.