Albany, New York: TikTok Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Super Lawyer and American Institute of Trial Lawyers Litigator of the Year, is Committed to Defending the Rights of Albany Families. If You or Your Child Has Sustained Physical Injuries Due to Social Media Addiction, You Deserve Aggressive Representation and an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer Willing to Fight for Your Rights.

---

Social media has always had a dark side, but pressure on the industry is mounting like never before.

Earlier this year, a California woman reached an unprecedented settlement with the owners of TikTok. In her lawsuit, the 20-year-old plaintiff, identified in court documents by the initials “K.G.M.,” described how her childhood was consumed by compulsive social media use. According to K.G.M., this led to further complications. Over time, she began to lose her sense of self-worth, struggling with depression, anxiety, and persistent body-image issues.

K.G.M.’s lawsuit accused TikTok, along with other technology companies, of releasing digital products engineered to capture children’s undivided attention. Many of these products contain features that can cause or accelerate further harm. In legal filings, K.G.M.’s attorneys argued that social media companies knew exactly what they were doing, encouraging employees to find new ways to make their platforms as “addictive” as possible.

Since K.G.M.’s claim was settled outside of court, before trial could commence, the details of her agreement with TikTok will likely remain confidential.

However, TikTok’s decision to settle is in itself remarkable.

For decades, social media companies have been able to count on relief in the form of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Under Section 230, website operators are not typically liable for content posted by third-party users. K.G.M.’s lawsuit fought to flip this script on its head by asserting that companies should still be responsible for the choices they make when it comes to an application’s underlying design and other fundamental features.

If you or your child has been injured as a direct result of social media addiction, you could be entitled to file a lawsuit, too. Although standing up to a multibillion-dollar company is never easy, you might not have to do it alone. Since our founding in 2005, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped our clients in Albany and throughout Upstate New York recover more than $300 million in damages. We could help you, too, but only if you act fast. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a social media addiction lawyer near Albany and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

The TikTok Lawsuit: How Social Media Could Hurt Kids

K.G.M.’s lawsuit against TikTok is part of a larger series of claims.

Aside from TikTok, K.G.M. has also sued Meta, YouTube, and Snap. Of these companies, both TikTok and Snap have decided to settle out of court rather than risk a trial. Thousands of other people, from all corners of the country, have addiction and self-harm-related claims still pending against the industry. In K.G.M.’s case, attorneys argue that social media companies utilize a similar array of engagement-driving features despite knowing that they correlate with poor mental health outcomes in children.

The logic is similar to the claims against the tobacco industry:

1. Social media companies, like the tobacco industry, deliberately designed an addictive product;
2. Social media companies, like the tobacco industry, knew and understood that addictive product features can have detrimental effects; and
3. Social media companies, like the tobacco industry, chose to either ignore or downplay these effects rather than adjust their practices.

One of the biggest challenges facing claims like K.G.M.’s relates to proving causation.

In the early days of tobacco litigation, former smokers encountered a similar obstacle: cigarette companies acknowledged that many of their customers had been diagnosed with conditions like lung cancer, but claimed that cigarettes themselves were not the cause. Later, they tried telling juries that everyone who smokes assumes a measure of risk and that a cigarette-maker should not be responsible for a customer’s acceptance of that risk. At the same time, the tobacco industry spent massive amounts of money portraying cigarettes as safe, fun, and sexy. What they did not mention was that cigarette companies had already established a link between smoking and cancer decades before the federal government publicly confirmed it. Instead of warning the public and running the risk of losing profit, they leveraged addiction for their own benefit.

Social media addiction may not cause cancer, but K.G.M.’s lawsuit asserts that industry practices that may not seem criminal can have devastating consequences for kids. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The use of cosmetic and beauty filters;
2. Corporate directives instructing programmers to make platforms more “addictive”;
3. Introducing powerful and highly personalized algorithms that provide kids with content they know they will struggle to turn off; and
4. Redesigning applications to provide an “endless scrolling” experience where users can continue using an application without having to switch tabs or pages.

Taken together, these practices, among others, could cause or contribute to compulsive social media use. Left unchecked, this could prove life-threatening.

Social Media Addiction And Legal Liability

The suggestion that social media addiction can impact kids’ health was not invented by K.G.M. or her lawyers. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office issued an advisory on social media, finding that it can cause or contribute to:

1. Cyber-bullying;
2. Sexual abuse;
3. Feelings of depression;
4. Lowered self-esteem; and
5. Serious mental health conditions.

Social media companies may contest their liability, but most medical experts do not question that social media addiction can have real-world consequences. Addiction can, for instance, accelerate the development of conditions like clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and body dysmorphia. In some cases, children who struggle with depression may engage in self-harm or even attempt suicide.

Until recently, it was difficult if, not impossible, to hold social media companies liable for addiction-related injuries and deaths. TikTok’s decision to settle could signal a change, but it does not mean that standing up to a multibillion-dollar corporation will be easy. Billions of people around the world use social media, and a single successful lawsuit could invite a tidal wave of litigation. Social media companies know this, which is why they will often fight tooth and nail against even the strongest and most compelling claims. If they think they might lose, they may settle instead of risking a trial.

You should never go to court unprepared, especially when the defendant may well have the wealth of a small country. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. knows what it takes to build a compelling case for compensation. Please send us a message online or call us today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a social media addiction lawyer near Albany and schedule your free consultation.

---

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 1-866-529-5334 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Albany, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

---