The parents of four teenagers who died by suicide are suing Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, alleging that years of escalating harms from the companies' platforms ultimately led to their children's deaths. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of Delaware, is the latest in a series of legal actions targeting social media giants over claims that their platforms are addictive and dangerous for young users.
The complaint was brought on behalf of four families from Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Their children died by suicide over a 14-month period, beginning in July 2024 and concluding in September 2025. The Social Media Victims Law Center is representing the families. According to the law center's founding attorney, Matthew Bergman, the timing of these deaths is particularly significant as they occurred long after similar lawsuits had already been filed.
"These platforms continue to kill kids, despite the platitudes of their executives," Bergman stated. "This is a clear and present danger to the health and safety of children, not just in the United States but around the world."
The lawsuit alleges that the four teens—Livi Castro, 13; Riv Kelleher, 14; Nathaniel Chambers, 17; and Dawson Holden, 18—experienced social media addiction, severe sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation as a result of their prolonged use of the platforms. The complaint asserts that the social media companies were aware of the harm their platforms inflicted on young users.
Representatives for Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Tech Oversight Project stated that despite years of advocacy from parents, activists, and whistleblowers, and congressional inaction, more children have died. The organization criticized the tech companies for allegedly continuing to deceive the public about product safety and for spending vast sums on advertising, deceptive partnerships, and lobbying.
Federal legislation aimed at regulating social media has progressed slowly. The Kids Online Safety Act, which had garnered support from parent and children's advocacy groups, was passed by the Senate two years prior to the filing of this lawsuit. However, the House of Representatives never voted on that version, and disagreements persist between the House and Senate regarding key provisions.
Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap are currently involved in numerous state and federal lawsuits concerning alleged harms to minors. Meta is currently on trial in Tennessee in a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general, who claims the company intentionally designed its platforms, particularly Instagram, to be addictive for young people and failed to warn them of the associated dangers. In August, Meta is scheduled to face a trial in federal court in Oakland, California, concerning a lawsuit filed by dozens of states in 2023. That suit contends that Meta's design of addictive features and its alleged violation of federal law by collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent have contributed to the youth mental health crisis.
Legal challenges against these companies have varied in outcome, with many cases being settled out of court. For instance, a Florida teenager recently dropped his case against Meta in Los Angeles state court without receiving a settlement. Meta had argued that the teen used his social media accounts for only minutes a day on average and created most of his accounts after retaining legal counsel.
Despite such instances, the cumulative cost of mounting litigation can be substantial. Meta Platforms reported $2.4 billion in legal expenses in the second quarter, contributing to a notable 14% decline in its profits.