A series of landmark trials that could reshape the future of social media for children are now underway across the United States, with Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap facing claims that they deliberately designed their platforms to addict and harm young users.
According to the Transparency Coalition, approximately 1,600 plaintiffs — including individual families, school districts, and state attorneys general — are part of the coordinated legal proceedings. The cases allege that addictive platform features like infinite scroll, autoplay video, and algorithmic recommendations caused depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and other mental health issues in children.
Because so many lawsuits have been filed, judges coordinated them into a judicial council coordination proceeding (JCCP) — a legal structure used in large-scale product liability cases. Twenty-two lawsuits have been selected as "bellwether" trials, meaning they serve as test cases to gauge jury reactions before the remaining cases proceed.
Two trials got underway in February. A third is expected to begin in June.
The trials are being compared to the landmark Big Tobacco cases of the 1990s, in which cigarette makers were found to have hidden health risks and targeted minors. Those cases resulted in billions of dollars in damages and sweeping marketing restrictions.