A new court case against Meta and Snap is due to begin in the US on 28 October, concerning the potential negative impact of social media on teenagers’ mental health. Two young American women are accusing the tech companies of creating mechanisms that encourage excessive use of their platforms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are expected to give evidence in the case. The trial in Los Angeles will be the second set of individual lawsuits concerning social media addiction following a ruling in March, under which Meta and Google were ordered to pay $6 million in compensation.
Teenagers blame social media for causing addiction
The lawsuits were brought by a 16-year-old girl from Illinois and an 18-year-old woman from Mississippi. In the court documents, their names are concealed under the initials S.J. and K.D.B.
According to the claimants, they began to use YouTube as early as the age of three or four, whilst other social media platforms are used from around the age of nine.
The girls say that the endless stream of posts, automatic video playback and other features have led them to spend more and more time on social media.
They link such use to the development of anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The lawsuits also describe problems with learning and instances of self-harm.
The claimants are seeking compensation for their losses, but have not specified any particular amounts.
Zuckerberg and social media executives may be called to give evidence in court
The trial begins with the selection of the jury and, according to preliminary estimates, is expected to last several weeks.
Among the expected witnesses is Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and the Chief Executive Officer of Snap Evan Spiegel.
Initially, the claims also related to TikTok and YouTube. However, these companies had already reached settlement agreements before the proceedings began.
Meta has settled the claims of the 16-year-old claimant from Illinois out of court. Consequently, the company will now only face the claim brought by the Mississippi resident, whilst Snap remains a defendant in both cases.
Representatives from Meta and Snap have denied the allegations. The companies maintain that they have put in place measures to protect minors, and that young people’s mental health is influenced by many factors.
Meta and Google have already lost a similar court case, with a fine of $6 million
In March 2026, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Google. held liable for negligence during the development of Instagram and YouTube in another case concerning harm caused to a young user.
The court awarded a total of $6 million in compensation. Of this amount, Meta is to pay $4.2 million and Google $1.8 million. The companies are appealing the ruling.
The new case forms part of a much broader legal battle. According to Reuters, more than 3,000 similar lawsuits have been consolidated in the California state court alone. In addition, there are more than 3,800 cases pending in the federal court in California, brought by states, school districts and private individuals.
Meta has agreed to settle claims worth billions of dollars
In August, Meta reached settlements with most US states and territories regarding lawsuits concerning the impact of Facebook and Instagram on teenagers’ mental health.
The total value of the agreements could reach approximately $18 billion. Part of the funds is earmarked for programmes to keep children safe online. The company has also agreed to amend certain rules governing minors’ access to Instagram and Facebook.
At the same time, individual claims remain the subject of separate legal proceedings. In these proceedings, it is necessary to establish whether there is a causal link between specific platform features and the harm alleged by the claimants.
