Judge Clears Way for Next Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Bellwether Trial

The next federal social media addiction lawsuit bellwether trial is scheduled to begin in February, but the plaintiff has yet to be announced.

The U.S. District Judge overseeing all federal youth social media addiction lawsuits has rejected Meta’s bid to dismiss claims filed by state attorneys general, allowing those cases to move forward as the parties prepare for the next bellwether trial.

Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat and other major social media platforms face nearly 3,000 product liability lawsuits filed by parents, young adults, school districts and states nationwide, each claiming the companies use sophisticated algorithms and platform designs to fuel compulsive social media use and keep users scrolling, regardless of the harm.

The claims focus on individuals who used social media as children, when they were allegedly more vulnerable to addictive platform features and design choices. Plaintiffs say those features contributed to serious mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, behavioral issues, self-harm and suicide.

According to the lawsuits, this was not accidental. Plaintiffs allege companies behind sites like Instagram and TikTok knew their platforms could foster harmful use among children, but continued prioritizing engagement and profits over youth mental health.

All federally-filed youth social media addiction lawsuits are currently consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of California before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is guiding the claims through coordinated discovery, pretrial proceedings and early “bellwether” trials designed to see how juries respond to evidence and testimony common throughout the litigation.

However, Meta attempted to exclude at least the state lawsuits from those trials, filing a motion for summary judgment that called states’ attorneys general social media lawsuits deceptive, unfair and in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).

In a court order (PDF) issued on June 29, the judge rejected Meta’s arguments and dismissed the motion, allowing the state lawsuits to move forward. She also granted a partial summary judgment to the attorneys general, declaring that Meta was the party in violation of COPPA, not the states’ lawsuits.

“Evidence exists that Meta employees have authored internal documents indicating that the platforms are addictive and that teens interact with them in an addictive manner. Internal Meta documents also show that at least some employees believed the platforms cultivated compulsive use to maximize engagement.”

– U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Northern District of California

Social Media Addiction Trials

Originally, the first social media bellwether trial was scheduled to begin on June 15, involving the Breathitt County school district’s claims against Meta, YouTube and TikTok. That trial was cancelled after the district and Meta announced they had reached a settlement in late May. YouTube and TikTok had settled with the district earlier.

No terms of the settlement were released. However, the school district had been seeking more than $60 million in damages.

The next bellwether trial is scheduled to begin on February 8. It will involve claims by the Tucson Unified School District or the Charleston County School District, but no definitive choice has yet been announced.

A separate track of youth social media addiction claims is also moving forward in state courts, where some cases have already reached trial. In March, a Los Angeles jury in California state court determined Meta and Google should pay $6 million in damages to a woman who said she suffered anxiety and depression due to social media addiction fostered by apps like Facebook and YouTube when she was a minor. 

Just before that verdict, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million to the state after finding the company liable for causing teen social media addiction and the resulting mental health problems.

These trials, while not binding on other cases, are all being closely observed for trends among juries that will give either party leverage at the negotiating table and thus could be key in the parties reaching a youth social media addiction lawsuit settlement.