MDL
Social Media Adolescent Addiction MDL 3047
In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation
Where it stands
Centralized by the JPML on October 6, 2022. The core theory is defective algorithmic design — infinite scroll, variable-reward notification schedules, beauty filters and engagement-optimizing recommendation systems — rather than liability for third-party content, a framing chosen specifically to avoid Section 230 and First Amendment bars. In November 2023 Judge Gonzalez Rogers held Section 230 did not bar negligence per se and design-defect claims tied to specific product features, while barring others; in October 2024 she dismissed certain injury theories on First Amendment grounds but allowed school-district public nuisance and state AG deceptive-practices claims to proceed. The MDL has grown past 2,200 consolidated federal cases (with roughly 3,000 coordinated federal and state suits overall) and bellwether trials are proceeding through 2026.
Key ruling
November 2023 and October 2024 orders (N.D. Cal., Gonzalez Rogers, J.): Section 230 and the First Amendment bar some theories but do not immunize platform design features such as parental-notification defaults, age verification and engagement mechanics — the pivotal holding that keeps algorithmic-design claims alive.
Note on this record
Not a class action — an MDL of individual actions plus school-district and state AG suits. Case counts and 2026 bellwether scheduling shift frequently and come from litigation trackers rather than the docket; verify current counts before publication. Lead counsel list is representative of the plaintiffs' leadership, not exhaustive.The record
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers)
- Case number
- 4:22-md-03047-YGR (MDL No. 3047)
- Filed
- 2022-10-06
- Defendants
- Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook, Instagram) · ByteDance Ltd. / TikTok Inc. · Snap Inc. · Google LLC / YouTube
- Plaintiffs
- Consolidated personal-injury claims by adolescent users and their families, plus school-district and state attorney general actions
- Technology at issue
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube
- Relief sought
- Compensatory and punitive damages for personal injury; abatement and injunctive relief for school districts; civil penalties in the state AG actions
- Counsel of record
- Motley Rice LLC · Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP · Social Media Victims Law Center · Beasley Allen
Claims pleaded
Sources (3)
- Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation — MDL No. 3047Tech Policy Press · 2026
- In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation — court pageU.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. · 2026
- Navigating the digital dilemma: Court addresses social media liability in adolescent addiction litigationDLA Piper · 2024-01
This page describes a publicly filed case. This site is not counsel on this matter, nothing here is legal advice, and the allegations described are allegations unless a court has said otherwise.