Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google face wrongful death lawsuit from four US families
The Social Media Victims Law Center accused the companies of creating addictive and dangerous platforms.
Four American families have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google. The Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC) alleges these companies created addictive and dangerous platforms that contributed to the deaths of four children between July 2024 and September 2025. The lawsuit claims the companies ignored warnings from their own researchers, concealed evidence of harm, and built systems that tracked user behavior to promote harmful content.
The SMVLC alleges the companies pushed diet and beauty ads, appearance-changing filters, social comparison features, and other content that led to depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts among young users. The families claim the deaths occurred in Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota and Tennessee. However, the lawsuit was filed in Delaware after internal company documents were unsealed in recent court proceedings.
Google and Meta responded to the lawsuit, stating they are committed to providing a safer experience for young users and have implemented policies and controls to protect them. Other lawsuits targeting these platforms are also ongoing, with four US states suing Meta earlier this summer for creating addictive designs and misleading the public about app safety.
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