Families sue Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube over deaths of 4 teens

The families of four teenagers who died by suicide are suing Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, asserting that the social media platforms contributed to severe mental health and physical problems that ultimately led to their deaths. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware's Superior Court, alleges that the teens experienced years of harm, including social media addiction, profound sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

Filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center on behalf of the families from Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, the complaint details how the children, aged 13 to 18 at the time of their deaths between July 2024 and September 2025, exhibited similar patterns. Parents described once-vibrant children becoming anxious, withdrawn, and depressed as their engagement with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube intensified.

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Despite living hundreds of miles apart, their parents describe nearly identical patterns: once‑vibrant children who became anxious, withdrawn or depressed as their use of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube intensified.

Matthew Bergman, founding attorney at the Social Media Victims Law Center, stated that the companies' actions have "eroded public trust, misled policymakers, and created a national youth mental health crisis." He warned that this crisis has already cost a generation and will require years to repair. Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google, YouTube's parent company, have not yet responded to requests for comment.

This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges against social media companies, accusing them of fostering addictive and harmful behaviors among young users. Notably, a jury previously found Meta and YouTube liable in May for designing products that encouraged such behavior. Resources are available for those experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crises, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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Social media companies' 'actions have eroded public trust, misled policymakers, and created a national youth mental health crisis that has already cost us a generation and will take years to repair.