Social Media Addiction Lawsuit: A Guide (May 2025)
Contributor
Reviewed By Adam Ramirez, J.D.
Editor
Summary
- Social media addiction can impact mental and physical health
- Teenagers may have a higher risk of developing this form of addiction
- You can file a lawsuit for a failure to warn of the risk of addiction
Throughout the world, there are 4.8 billion social media users. Most of these people casually use these platforms to communicate with loved ones and share pictures. For others, however, using social media can become addictive.
Teens may be particularly impacted, with compulsive social media use potentially putting them at risk of developing mental health conditions. To address this problem, more people are filing social media addiction lawsuits to recover compensation for the pain and suffering they’ve experienced.
Here’s what you need to know about social media addiction lawsuits and what they involve.
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As seen on:
- What Is Social Media Addiction?
- How Social Media Affects Teens
- Who Can File a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
- Social Media Lawsuits Against Major Platforms
- Statute of Limitations for a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
- Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Settlements
- How to File a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
- Find an Experienced Lawyer With Help From ConsumerShield
What Is Social Media Addiction?
Social media addiction refers to the obsessive and compulsive use and focus on social media platforms despite the negative effects they have on your life. It can lead you to feel anxiety when you’re offline, making you check for updates and causing you to struggle with your everyday life.
As with any other type of addiction, social media addiction can impact the brain. “Likes,” comments and interactions may give you a boost of feel-good chemicals, which prompt you to use the site even more. You can slowly become desensitized to those positive boosts, however, which could lead you to spend hours on the platform seeking the next “high.”
How Social Media Affects Teens
Social media can have significant effects on the mental health of teens. It can lead to the development of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Teens can also struggle with self-esteem and body image issues as a result of social media use because they’re bombarded with curated and edited pictures.
Additionally, the decreased in-person interactions that result from obsessive social media use can make teens less able to manage interpersonal relationships while at the same time making it more difficult for them to build essential social skills. This may only make mental health problems worse because it boosts feelings of isolation.
Social Media Companies and Teen Targeting
Despite how detrimental compulsive social media usage can be for teens, these platforms continue to seek them out. They use behavioral targeting with algorithms that monitor everything from comments to videos watched to present similar content to keep teens on the platform.
Social media sites also highlight viral trends and challenges, which often capture the attention of teens. These platforms celebrate influencers, especially young ones, making their success something teens need to obtain.
Who Can File a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?
When looking for how to sue someone for social media harm, it’s first essential to know whether you’re eligible to do so. If you have suffered physical or psychological harm because of social media use or developed an addiction, it may be possible to file a lawsuit with help from a personal injury lawyer.
The majority of the lawsuits focus on the development of social media addiction in people under 21. If you or your child has demonstrable psychological injuries from social media use, such as a diagnosed mental health condition that began because of the addiction, you may be eligible.
Social Media Lawsuits Against Major Platforms
The most popular social media platforms are facing lawsuits from people who claim the companies have purposely built addictive features and focused on drawing in children and teenagers. Because these demographics still have developing brains, the harm that social media causes can be much greater.
Plaintiffs in these cases are stating that social media companies had a responsibility to warn of the potential for addiction. As with any other type of product liability lawsuit, the manufacturer could be liable if it doesn’t warn of potential risks of using the product — in this case, social media platforms.
Statute of Limitations for a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
As with other types of lawsuits, there are statutes of limitations that apply. These are state-specific and can also depend on the ages of the plaintiffs. A product liability attorney can offer insight into how much time you have to file the lawsuit.
Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Settlements
These cases are relatively new, and lawsuits can take a while to come to a conclusion. As of now, there have not been any social media addiction lawsuit settlements, but there are numerous ongoing cases.
How to File a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
If you’re eligible to file a claim, the first thing you need to do is hire an attorney with experience in these types of cases. These are complex lawsuits, and you will need assistance to gather appropriate evidence. The evidence must show a clear link between addictive social media use and the mental or physical harm you’ve sustained.
Your lawyer can take care of the legal process of filing the lawsuit and beginning negotiations to try to achieve a settlement. That’s not always possible, however, which means your case can end up in court. It’s vital not to attempt litigation without an attorney.
Find an Experienced Lawyer With Help From ConsumerShield
If you or a loved one has developed a social media addiction, you may be entitled to compensation. To begin the legal process of filing a lawsuit, however, you need to hire experienced representation.
At ConsumerShield, we can help connect you with an attorney in your area who offers the trusted legal support you’re seeking. Contact us to find out how we can equip you to fight for the justice you deserve today.
Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Knowledge Base
Read the latest information on Social Media Addiction Lawsuit and find answers to your questions. Currently there are 3 topics about Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Lawsuits.
Eating Disorders
Mental Health Effects
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Although the majority of these cases do focus on teenagers because they are more at risk of developing social media addictions, anyone can file if they were impacted by obsessive social media use. You will have to show that you suffered mental or physical harm because of the addiction.
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Yes. The lawsuits that have been filed mention sites such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. There may be other sites included as well.
