Social Media Companies Face Legal Reckoning Over Mental Health Harms to Children

Landmark trials seek to hold tech giants accountable for harming kids' wellbeing through addictive design choices

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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Social media companies like Meta and TikTok are facing a reckoning in courtrooms across the U.S. as they are sued by school districts, governments, and thousands of families over allegations that their platforms harm children's mental health. The lawsuits claim the companies knowingly made their products addictive and exposed kids to dangerous content, leading to depression, eating disorders, and even suicide. Experts see these cases as similar to the legal battles against tobacco and opioid companies, with the potential to challenge tech's legal shields and force major changes in how social media operates.

Why it matters

These trials represent a major inflection point in the ongoing debate over social media's impact on children's wellbeing. If successful, the plaintiffs could force social media companies to fundamentally change their business models and prioritize child safety over growth and engagement. The outcomes could also set new legal precedents that erode the industry's liability protections, potentially leading to more lawsuits and regulations targeting tech's harms to minors.

The details

The cases include a landmark trial underway in Los Angeles, where a 20-year-old plaintiff's case has been selected as a bellwether, as well as a trial in New Mexico led by the state's attorney general. The plaintiffs are seeking to prove the companies knew their platforms were addictive and harmful to children, yet prioritized profits over safety. The tech giants are defending themselves, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying that the existing science has not proven social media causes mental health harms. Another major trial is scheduled for this summer, pitting several school districts against the social media companies.

  • The Los Angeles trial kicked off in early February 2026.
  • The New Mexico trial began in early 2023.
  • A trial involving several school districts is scheduled for this summer.

The players

Meta

The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

TikTok

A popular short-form video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.

Mark Zuckerberg

The CEO of Meta, who testified in the Los Angeles trial.

Raúl Torrez

The New Mexico Attorney General who sued Meta in 2023.

Jayne Conroy

A lawyer on the plaintiffs' trial team, who previously worked on opioid epidemic cases.

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What they’re saying

“This is a monumental inflection point in social media. When we started doing this four years ago no one said we'd ever get to trial. And here we are trying our case in front of a fair and impartial jury.”

— Matthew Bergman, Founder, Social Media Victims Law Center (wbal.com)

“Meta clearly knew that youth safety was not its corporate priority … that youth safety was less important than growth and engagement.”

— Donald Migliori, Prosecuting Attorney (wbal.com)

“With the social media case, we're focused primarily on children and their developing brains and how addiction is such a threat to their wellbeing and … the harms that are caused to children — how much they're watching and what kind of targeting is being done.”

— Jayne Conroy, Plaintiffs' Trial Team Lawyer (wbal.com)

What’s next

The trials are expected to last for several years, with appeals and potential settlement discussions. Lawmakers are also under pressure to enact new regulations targeting social media's harms to children, though progress has been slow due to industry lobbying and disagreements over the best approach.

The takeaway

These landmark lawsuits represent a major reckoning for social media companies, who now face the prospect of being held legally accountable for the mental health harms their platforms have inflicted on children. The outcomes could fundamentally reshape the industry and force tech giants to prioritize child safety over growth and profits.