Social media companies have designed platform features to promote repetitive, compulsive use by kids, ignoring the impact of their platforms on children’s mental health and well-being

Yesterday, the nationally recognized law firm Baron & Budd filed public nuisance lawsuits against social media companies Meta, Snap, Google, YouTube, and TikTok. The lawsuits, filed on behalf of the people of the state of California in San Diego, Sacramento, and Del Norte Counties, allege that the defendant social media companies have created a public nuisance and health crisis among minors who have developed compulsive and addictive behaviors due to social media algorithms and user interface design intended to create repetitive uses.

According to the lawsuit, the social media companies strategically and intentionally implemented behavioral and neurobiological techniques responsible for addictive behavior in the development of their platforms knowing that children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects. The extensive complaint cites scientific research, including studies concealed by the defendants, that connect the intentional design of the platforms to the growing youth mental health crisis that is gripping the nation.

The suit claims the social media companies, “have deliberately tweaked the design and operation of their platforms to exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of students. Because children’s and adolescents’ brains are not fully developed, they lack the same emotional maturity, impulse control, and psychological resiliency as adults. As a result, they are uniquely susceptible to addictive features in digital products and highly vulnerable to the consequent harms. Knowing this, Defendants wrote code designed to manipulate dopamine release in children’s developing brains and, in doing so, create compulsive use of their apps.”

The complaint alleges resulting effects of the addictive designs of the social media platforms have created extraordinary profits for the companies, but also caused alarming increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide rates for youths. The counties filing the lawsuits assert that the defendants’ conduct has created a public nuisance among the counties’ youth that requires abatement including but not limited to, funding for programs, services, and educational outreach.

“Social media companies have prioritized profits over the well-being of our children, creating an environment where harmful algorithms fuel addictive behaviors that have serious consequences for these young kids. By fostering a cycle of dependence, these platforms have contributed to a public health crisis that demands accountability. This lawsuit is a critical step in holding social media platforms responsible for the damage they have caused and ensuring that children are protected from the destructive impact of their practices,” said Baron & Budd shareholder, John Fiske.

The lawsuits seek to hold the social media companies accountable for their role in creating or contributing to a public nuisance and enjoin them to stop their harmful actions while also seeking injunctive relief and abatement to fund education and addiction treatment. The cases were filed by the law firms Baron & Budd, Diab Chambers, Wagstaff & Cartmell, Beasley Allen, and Goza & Honnold.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of public entities and tens of thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, wildfires, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.

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