On Friday, October 13, 2023, a California state judge ruled that negligence and fraud claims for adolescents and parents can proceed against social media companies Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
This first-of-its-kind litigation seeks to hold these tech giants responsible for the physical harm youth face because of social media addiction. These cases allege that the platforms are all driven by features meant to maximize profits by manipulating and addicting kids and adolescents to social media.
Overview of the Social Media Addiction Litigation
The social media addiction litigation involves claims filed by plaintiffs who have suffered personal injuries as well as claims filed by school districts that have been burdened by the epidemic of social media addiction in adolescents and teens, as described below:
Personal Injury
American children suffer an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by dangerous social media products. We’re representing young individuals who have suffered mental health conditions that include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Eating disorders
- Body dysmorphia
- Severe anxiety and depression
- Self-harm
- Suicide and suicide attempts
School Districts
This social media mental health crisis has also infiltrated classrooms across America, causing severe disruptions and distractions and requiring schools to provide mental health support to students at unprecedented rates. This comes at an enormous cost – both in time and resources – to school districts that are already stretched thin.
Kirk Goza Appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
At Goza & Honnold, we are pleased to announce that Kirk Goza has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) and appointed as Co-lead of the Government Entity Committee for the California state consolidated action. Both Kirk and Brad have also been appointed to various discovery committees for the California state consolidated action. Our firm has decades of experience serving on leadership committees for both state and federal court consolidated litigations.
We are partnering with Beasley Allen and Wagstaff Cartmell to represent school districts nationwide. Our firms previously worked jointly to represent hundreds of school districts against JUUL and Altria related to the national vaping epidemic. Our team is uniquely qualified to help school districts and individuals recover the resources needed to address this crisis.