Meta, Google, others to face thousands of alleged social media addiction lawsuits in US

Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap must face thousands of lawsuits in the US alleging their platforms were deliberately designed to addict young users, after a federal appeals court rejected attempts to halt the litigation.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on August 10 declined an appeal by Meta and TikTok seeking to overturn lower court rulings allowing more than 3,000 federal lawsuits to proceed.

The cases have been brought by US states, municipalities, school districts, parents and individuals, who accuse social media companies of designing features to keep children and teenagers engaged while contributing to depression, anxiety, body-image concerns and other mental-health harms.

The court separately rejected Meta’s request to delay a trial brought by 29 state attorneys general. The case alleges that Meta improperly collected and used children’s data, designed its platforms to keep young users hooked and misled consumers about their safety.

The US cases form part of a wider regulatory push around social media use and children.

In the European Union, the European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok and Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act over features regulators say could encourage addictive behaviour, including infinite scrolling and algorithmic recommendation systems.

Australia has taken a more direct approach. Since December 2025, major social media platforms have been required to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts. Companies can face penalties of up to A$49.5 million for systemic failures to comply.

The UK’s Online Safety Act also places specific obligations on online platforms to protect children from harmful content, including requirements for age-assurance measures where children could encounter certain categories of harmful material.

India has yet to see comparable mass litigation centred specifically on addictive social media design. However, platforms including Meta, Google and X have faced regulatory and court action in the country over issues ranging from data use for advertising and competition to content moderation and platform accountability.

Across jurisdictions, the emerging focus is increasingly extending beyond harmful content to the design choices and engagement mechanisms that determine how, and for how long, users interact with social platforms.