Social media was originally sold to us as a way to connect with the people we love. And although it did deliver that, it also somehow captured way more of our attention than we wanted it to.
The average teenager spends about 4.8 hours per day on social media.[1] This is more time than they spend eating, exercising, and talking to their families, combined.
Additionally, social media companies have always said that they are neutral tools, and whatever harm comes from them is the creator’s problem. This argument is now being challenged by recent social media addiction lawsuits.
In early 2026, a Los Angeles jury determined Meta and YouTube built dangerous tools fully knowing what they were doing. The jury also demanded that the companies be held accountable for the damage caused.[2]
In this post, we talk about some recent social media addiction and mental health harm lawsuits, and how you can protect your mental health while being on these platforms.
What Exactly Is a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
A social media addiction lawsuit is a legal claim filed against a social media company, which could be Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and so on. It alleges that the platform was deliberately built to be addictive and harmful for the user.
The core argument of such a lawsuit is the design of the platform itself. For example, a lawsuit can be filed against the infinite scroll feature of Instagram, as it was engineered with full knowledge of the fact that it may create a compulsive, hard-to-stop behavior.
These lawsuits are very similar to how you could sue a car manufacturer for putting a dangerously defective brake system in a vehicle. You could argue that social media platforms are defective products. The companies know the risks of the psychological harm they have created, and they still choose engagement metrics over user safety.
Examples of Recent Legal Action Against Social Media Companies
In 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta (Instagram’s parent company) and YouTube liable for negligently designing platforms that harmed a young woman named Kaley, who is currently a 20-year-old from California.[2]
Kaley testified that she started using YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine, and was on social media “all day long” as a child, which led her to develop anxiety, depression, and severe body image issues.[2]
The trial ran for more than 40 hours before the jury awarded Kaley $3 million in compensatory damages. They also recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. This was after finding the companies had acted with fraud, in which Meta was assigned 70% of the responsibility, and YouTube the remaining 30%.[3]
Internal documents shown during the trial found that Meta’s goal was to “bring [teens] in as tweens.” Data also found that 11-year-olds were four times more likely to return to Instagram compared to competing apps, even though the app officially requires users to be at least 13.[4] Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in the trial and a juror said his testimony did not “sit well” with the panel.
The same lawsuit originally targeted TikTok and Snapchat as well; however, both companies chose to settle before the trial began. The settlement amount was never made public.[4]
Moreover, just one day before the Los Angeles verdict, a separate jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million. This was for a case of hiding what it knew about child sexual exploitation occurring on its platforms.[5]
Aside from these trials, more than 41 state attorneys general have taken legal action against social media companies.[6] Hundreds of school districts have also joined federal social media lawsuits.
Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
There are plenty of reasons behind the upsurge in legal action against social media companies; a lot of scientific evidence links social media with worsening mental health.
An analysis of 24 studies reported that 40% of adolescents who died by suicide had developed online identities focused on suicidal thoughts.[7]
A separate cohort study in a JAMA Network Open found that a one-week social media detox reduced symptoms of anxiety by 16.1%, depression by 24.8%, and insomnia by 14.5% among participants.[8]
Further, the U.S. Surgeon General says that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media have double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes.[9]
Now, this does not mean that every person who uses social media will be harmed in terms of mental health. Current research shows associations between the use of social media and mental health outcomes, but the absolute cause-and-effect relationship is not yet established.
Many other factors play a role, including the following:
- The user’s age
- Frequency of use
- Type of content consumed
- Individual vulnerability
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: Tech Companies’ Defense
The Communications Decency Act is the main federal law for social media as of now. It was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1996. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act says that online platforms cannot be treated as the “publisher or speaker” of content posted by their users.[10]
In simple terms, if someone posts something harmful on Facebook, you can sue that person, but you can not sue Facebook because it is just the host.
Social media companies have used Section 230 as their defense any time someone sued them for harm caused by content on their platform.
However, recent lawsuits that the companies have lost were based on the design of the apps rather than the content. The algorithm is not controlled by content creators; it is entirely the company’s responsibility.
How the Recent Court Rulings Affect Social Media Regulation in the U.S.
For the first time, the Los Angeles court ruled before trial that Section 230 could not protect Meta and YouTube from design-based claims.
The case also found that Meta and YouTube acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, which is why the jury has added punitive damages on top of compensatory damages. And there are over 2000 pending social media lawsuits that will likely be influenced by Los Angeles in the future.[11]
That said, Meta has claimed that it will appeal the verdict, so the legal battle is far from over. But the dam, as lawyers in this case put it, has cracked.
Since the court recognized social media features as potentially harmful product design, there are good chances that we may see amendments in laws that govern social media use.
What You Can Do About Social Media Addiction
Laws and lawsuits can only do so much because they work on the scale of industries. However, protecting your own mental health when you use social media is more of a personal matter.
The platforms are designed, in the words of the trial lawyer who won the Los Angeles case, to make you “never put down the phone.” So you will have to make an active effort to go against it. Here are some practical social media hygiene habits that can help you:
- Use the built-in screen time tools on your phone (“Screen Time” on iPhone, “Digital Wellbeing” on Android) to set daily time limits per app.
- Keep your phone in another room at night, and buy an alarm clock if you need one.
- Turn off all non-essential notifications so that you only get to social media when you choose to, rather than at every like, comment, and message notification.
- If your feed makes you feel bad about yourself, unfollow/mute accounts that trigger those feelings.
- Try to open a social media app with a purpose, for example, to connect with a friend, to look up info, or to share something you really want to. Don’t just tap on the apps because you are bored.
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Get Help for Social Media Addiction at AMFM Mental Health Treatment
If you feel like you get anxious when you can’t check your phone, or social media is the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last at night, you may have a social media addiction. Help is available to prevent social media from negatively affecting your life.
AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment offers compassionate, evidence-based care for mental health issues. Our core treatment approach is recovery-oriented cognitive therapy validated by years of scientific research.
Our residential treatment centers located in California, Minnesota, and Virginia, are run by expert clinicians who believe in going beyond traditional mental health treatment methods to provide lasting healing. In addition to residential treatment, we also offer outpatient programs and telehealth support.
AMFM Mental Health Treatment accepts insurance and is in-network with most major providers.
Contact us if you’re ready to explore your treatment options. Our caring team is available 24/7 to answer your questions or help check your insurance coverage for mental health care. Call 866-478-4383 for a no cost, no obligation conversation.
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