Overview
Thousands of lawsuits alleging that social media platforms caused harm to young people are proceeding in two main venues: a federal multidistrict litigation in California and a coordinated state court proceeding also in California. The first jury verdict was returned in March 2026, and several settlements have been announced. Most cases remain pending.[7]
October 2022: Federal Cases Centralized
In October 2022, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized federal personal injury actions into a single proceeding called In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047. The panel assigned the cases to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California.[1]
A multidistrict litigation, or MDL, is a procedure that groups similar federal cases before one judge to handle pretrial matters efficiently. Each case keeps its own identity but shares common discovery and motion practice.
The defendants named in the personal injury and school district litigation are Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram; Snap, which makes Snapchat; TikTok and its parent ByteDance; and Google, the owner of YouTube. The plaintiff groups include individuals and families, school districts and other public entities, state attorneys general, and tribal governments.[7]
What the Lawsuits Allege
Plaintiffs in MDL No. 3047 allege that design features including infinite scrolling, algorithm-driven recommendations, notifications, and other engagement tools were designed to encourage prolonged use. The California Attorney General's lawsuit alleges that Meta designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that drive compulsive use by children and teens, while misleading users, families, and the public about the existence and severity of the risks.[8]
These are allegations. A settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.[8] No court has ruled on the merits of the broader personal injury claims. For more detail on what the cases allege, see our page on what the lawsuits allege.
May 2023: Surgeon General Advisory
In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory titled Social Media and Youth Mental Health. The advisory reports that up to 95 percent of youth ages 13 to 17 use a social media platform. It cites a longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 15 finding that those who spent more than three hours per day on social media faced double the risk of poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety, and notes that as of 2021, 8th and 10th graders averaged 3.5 hours per day.[2]
The advisory says social media has both positive and negative effects on young people, that critical questions remain unanswered and there are known evidence gaps, and that it cannot be concluded that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents. An advisory is a public health statement. It is not a court finding about any company.[2]
For more on the medical and scientific context, see our page on the medical picture.
January 2026: First Trial Settlements
The first bellwether trial was scheduled in the California state court coordinated proceeding, JCCP 5255, in the case of K.G.M. v. Meta. A bellwether trial is an early test case chosen to help the parties and the court understand how juries may respond to the evidence.
Snap settled with plaintiff K.G.M. shortly before trial in January 2026. The amount was not disclosed and Snap did not admit liability.[3]
On January 27, 2026, the day jury selection was scheduled to begin, TikTok also settled with K.G.M. The settlement was confirmed in open court by the plaintiff's attorneys. Terms were not publicly disclosed.[4]
March 2026: First Jury Verdict
On March 25, 2026, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury returned the first verdict in this litigation. In K.G.M. v. Meta and YouTube, the jury found Meta and Google's YouTube negligent and liable for harm to the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM, and awarded a total of $6 million in damages. The jury deliberated for more than a week.[5]
The award consisted of $3 million in compensatory damages, split 70 percent to Meta and 30 percent to YouTube, plus $3 million in punitive damages, of which Meta was ordered to pay $2.1 million and YouTube $900,000. The totals were $4.2 million for Meta and $1.8 million for YouTube. Nine of 12 jurors voted for punitive damages, the minimum required under California law.[6]
Meta said it disagreed with the verdict and was evaluating its legal options. YouTube said it disagreed and planned to appeal. The verdict applies to this one plaintiff.[5]
May 2026: First Federal Bellwether Settles
In May 2026, the first federal bellwether trial, a school district case brought by Breathitt County, Kentucky, settled before trial with Snap, TikTok, YouTube, and Meta. No federal jury was seated. Terms were not disclosed; Reuters reported a combined value near $27 million. This was a school district settlement, not a payment to families.[3]
August 2026: Case Count and State Attorneys General Trial
As of August 3, 2026, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reported 3,137 pending actions in MDL No. 3047. That figure is federal only and does not include the California state court coordinated proceeding.[7]
On August 18, 2026, trial began in the state attorneys general case against Meta in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.[8]
August 2026: States Announce Settlement with Meta
On August 26, 2026, a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general announced a proposed settlement with Meta, subject to court approval through entry of a consent judgment. The settlement provides for a monetary payment of up to $17 billion to the states over ten years, and injunctive terms including default daily time limits, a block on overnight use that only a parent can lift, enhanced parental supervision tools, age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and children under 13, and an independent auditor.[8]
The payment goes to the states. The announcement describes no fund, claim form, or claims process for individual families. News outlets reported differing dollar figures; this record uses the California Attorney General's figure.[8]
The states' settlement with Meta does not end the broader litigation. Thousands of claims brought by young people, families, and public school districts remain pending in MDL No. 3047 against Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube.[9]
Where Things Stand Now
The litigation is in the bellwether trial phase. One jury verdict has been returned in state court, and several settlements have been announced. The vast majority of cases remain pending in both the federal MDL and the California state coordinated proceeding.
The record we track does not show a global settlement covering all plaintiffs or all defendants. The record does not show scheduled trial dates for most pending cases. For information on who the filed cases involve, see our page on who the filed cases involve.
What Is Not Known Yet
Several important procedural steps have been reported but are not verified from the court record we track.
The post-trial status of the K.G.M. verdict has been reported but not confirmed. One tracker reports the verdict was allowed to stand and that Meta is appealing.[10]
Whether the court has entered the consent judgment approving the states' settlement with Meta is not verified from the docket. One outlet reported approval the same afternoon the settlement was announced; another reported it had not yet been entered.[11]
The next personal injury bellwether trials in JCCP 5255 before Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl are reported as set for October 2026, but trial dates move often and this has not been verified from the court record.[10]
The next federal school district bellwether trials, involving Tucson Unified and Charleston County, are reported as set for February 2027, but this has not been verified from the docket.[12]
Sources
- MDL No. 3047 (2022-10-01). Secondary report: verusllc.com
- U.S. Surgeon General Advisory (2023) (2023-05-23). Primary document: hhs.gov
- JCCP 5255, K.G.M. v. Meta (2026-01-22). Secondary report: mdlupdate.com
- JCCP 5255, K.G.M. v. Meta (2026-01-27). Secondary report: spencer-law.com
- JCCP 5255, K.G.M. v. Meta (2026-03-25). Secondary report: npr.org
- JCCP 5255, K.G.M. v. Meta (2026-03-25). Secondary report: foxnews.com
- MDL No. 3047 (2026-08-03). Secondary report: migliorelaw.com
- Case 4:23-cv-05448-YGR (MDL No. 3047) (2026-08-18). Primary document: oag.ca.gov
- MDL No. 3047 (2026-08-26). Secondary report: levinlaw.com
- JCCP 5255, K.G.M. v. Meta (2026-03-26). Secondary report: mdlupdate.com
- Case 4:23-cv-05448-YGR (2026-08-26). Secondary report: cnbc.com
- MDL No. 3047 (2027-02-01). Secondary report: openclassactions.com
Litigation facts on this page come from the TortIntel litigation record and the documents linked above. Last checked against that record on 2026-09-20. If you see an error, tell us and we will correct it.