Depression, anxiety, and self-harm
PrimaryDiagnosed depression or anxiety, self-harm behaviors, and related treatment or hospitalization in a young user.
Tied to relaxer use: These are the central harms alleged across MDL 3047.
Lawsuits allege that Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube were designed to be addictive and contributed to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm in teens. The cases are consolidated as MDL 3047. We never sell your information.
Parents and young people allege that the major social platforms deliberately engineered features to maximize screen time, knowing the harm to developing minds. The claims connect heavy adolescent use to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide. The federal cases are consolidated as MDL 3047 before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California, where early verdicts and settlements have already come in 2026.
The claim is about design, not screen time in the abstract. Plaintiffs allege that features like infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic feeds, and engagement-maximizing notifications were built to keep young users hooked, and that internal research warned of the harm to teens.
The alleged harms are serious: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and in the worst cases suicide. The federal MDL 3047 is before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California; a Los Angeles state-court jury returned a $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube in March 2026, and Snap and TikTok reached confidential settlements the same year.
The documented basis for these claims:
The claims focus on documented adolescent mental-health harm connected to platform use.
Diagnosed depression or anxiety, self-harm behaviors, and related treatment or hospitalization in a young user.
Tied to relaxer use: These are the central harms alleged across MDL 3047.
Anorexia, bulimia, or related disorders alleged to be driven or worsened by algorithmic content.
Tied to relaxer use: Eating-disorder claims are a significant track in the litigation.
The most severe cases involve a young person's death. Wrongful-death claims are brought by the family.
Tied to relaxer use: These cases are handled with particular care by the attorney's team.
The 60-second check above tells you if your situation fits the criteria. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Four steps. After the first one, the attorney's team does almost everything.
Three questions confirm the basics: platforms used, the harm, and attorney status.
About 60 seconds.An attorney from the network reviews your answers and follows up, with care, to confirm your situation fits intake criteria.
1 to 2 business days.If accepted, the intake team collects the relevant medical, mental-health, and school records with your consent.
3 to 6 weeks.Once records are complete, your case is filed. Your attorney handles it through resolution. You can withdraw before signing a representation agreement.
Filing within 30 days of records being complete.Every state sets a filing deadline (statute of limitations), though rules for minors can differ. Once the window closes for your situation, the right to file is gone.
If you are unsure whether you are still within the window, run the check now. The attorney review is free and the deadline question is evaluated first.
claimscout is not a law firm. We connect you with attorneys from a vetted network of firms that handle social-media harm (MDL 3047) claims.
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This is not about screen-time in general. It is about specific design choices that plaintiffs say harmed kids. Your job is to tell us which platforms your child used and what happened.
The main defendants are Meta (Instagram and Facebook), TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Heavy use of one or more of these connected to documented harm is the starting point.
Documented adolescent mental-health harm connected to platform use, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, hospitalization, and, in the most severe cases, suicide (wrongful death).
Possibly. What matters is that there was a documented harm connected to platform use. The free review evaluates whether the case fits and whether the filing window is still open.
A parent or guardian typically brings the claim on behalf of a minor. If the affected person is now an adult, they can usually file themselves. The attorney explains the right path.
Yes. The eligibility check is confidential, and these cases are handled with sensitivity. We never sell your information.
We connect you. The check routes qualified families to an experienced attorney, and you can accept or decline.
Nothing. We get paid by the law firms or affiliate fees from the court-appointed administrator. You pay zero up front and zero out of any payout you receive.
Only if you check the consent box. We give you the choice. If you do not consent, your claim is captured and we route it to the administrator directly without sharing your phone number.
Yes, always. If we route your claim to a law firm, you can choose to file directly with the same firm or pick a different one. We exist because most people throw the notice letter away. We make it not happen.
No. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. We are a platform that captures your claim, qualifies it, and routes it to the court-appointed administrator or a law firm of your choice.