Social Media Addition

A new lawsuit was filed yesterday in the MDL, where the family of two teens from Hooks, Texas, claims that social media platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snap Inc., TikTok, and Google (YouTube) are responsible for causing serious mental health issues. The plaintiffs say that the addictive features of these platforms, along with a lack of warnings about the risks, led to compulsive use, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts, including cutting.

The lawsuit includes claims of strict liability for design defects, negligence, and violations of consumer protection laws. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for the harm caused by the platforms’ design, marketing, and maintenance.

The social media addiction lawsuit MDL saw a big increase in November, with 195 new cases, a 31% rise from the previous month. There are now 815 social media addiction cases
pending. Our lawyers remain confident in the strength of this litigation for cases with solid evidence.

The family of a 15-year-old boy from Charlotte, North Carolina, is suing Instagram, claiming that the platform contributed to his death by suicide almost three years ago. The lawsuit, filed by the boy’s father as the administrator of his estate, argues that Instagram’s design and algorithms led to his addiction and worsened his mental health, including anxiety, depression, and excessive social media use.

In November, 27 new cases were added to the social media addiction class action MDL, which is more than the 10 added in September but still a relatively low number. This suggests the mass tort will likely remain low-volume, which could be beneficial for victims in terms of settlement amounts and how quickly the litigation progresses. The MDL now has 620 pending cases.

To reach a settlement, the key is to get bellwether cases to trial. The bellwether plaintiffs have been actively involved in pretrial discovery, with most disputes resolved, except for a few pending requests. Although some issues remain, both the California state court and the MDL are moving forward smoothly, and there’s no strong reason to delay the start of the first trials.