New York, 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 New York City 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.

TikTok has announced its departure from a high-profile social media lawsuit that could have far-reaching implications. Filed on behalf of a 20-year-old California woman, the lawsuit accused TikTok of putting profits over the well-being of its youngest and most vulnerable users.

The plaintiff, referred to by the initials “K.G.M.,” told the court how social media had come to dominate her childhood. K.G.M. said that she made a YouTube account when she was eight; by the time she was 12, she signed up for services like TikTok and Snapchat, too. Over time, K.G.M. began to use social media compulsively. Her digital life allegedly had real-world repercussions: she started to struggle with depression and anxiety, and claims to have later experienced recurring body-image issues.

K.G.M.’s lawsuit took an unexpected approach to the issue of social media addiction and children’s safety. Instead of trying to prove that she became depressed and anxious after being exposed to age-inappropriate content, K.G.M. claimed that TikTok, much like the tobacco industry, employs addiction as an intentional strategy. This argument suggests that TikTok knew its most addictive features could harm kids, but refused to change course for fear of losing engagement.

Since K.G.M.’s lawsuit has been settled, it will not go to trial or set a precedent. However, K.G.M. is still litigating claims against other social media companies, including Meta and YouTube. These cases are still scheduled to move to trial. In the meantime thousands of other people, along with state attorneys general, school districts, and public watchdogs, have filed similar lawsuits.

You could be entitled to take action, too. If you or your child has been injured as a result of social media addiction, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. could help you file a product liability lawsuit against TikTok or another social media company. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, we know what it takes to build a strong, evidence-based 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 injury lawyer near New York City and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

K.G.M. has filed lawsuits against TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and Snap.

Of these companies, both TikTok and Snap have decided to settle rather than risk going to trial. K.G.M.’s attorneys argue that social media companies employ substantively similar practices to increase user engagement. Many of these practices are designed to capture users’ attention, effectively dissuading them from refocusing on any other task. For children, the end result is often an over-reliance on social media for communication, socialization, and self-affirmation.

However, one of the most significant challenges in cases like K.G.M.’s is proving causation.

After all, conditions like depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia existed long before social media became prevalent. It is not difficult for companies to claim that a child with a developmental problem or mental health condition simply used social media in an unhealthy way. In other words, social media may have made the problem worse, but it did not cause the problem.

K.G.M.’s lawsuit sought to turn this logic on its head.

In court filings, attorneys pointed to a long list of product and design features that are known or believed to have a negative impact on children’s mental health. 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 “addictive”;
3. Introducing powerful, personalized algorithms that provide kids with content 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.

Legal experts have been quick to note the similarities between K.G.M.’s lawsuit and landmark litigation against the tobacco industry.

The tobacco industry, just like today’s social media companies, tried desperately to blur the relationship between cigarettes and lung cancer. Even when cigarette-makers had evidence showing that smoking most likely causes cancer, they refused to release it to the public. Instead of sounding the alarm, they spent tens of millions of dollars to bury the results and lobby against new health regulations.

Social media addiction is obviously different in many respects from cigarette-smoking and cancer, but K.G.M.’s lawsuit relies on a similar logic: if a company makes a dangerous product, it has a duty to either minimize the potential harm or warn users about the danger.

Most people who use social media know that it has a dark side.

The idea that social media can be harmful is not new, and it is not at all unique to K.G.M.’s lawsuit. For years, health regulators have raised serious and recurring concerns about the many ways in which social media affects children’s cognitive development and all-around mental health.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, for instance, released a national advisory on social media.

Even occasional social media use, the Surgeon General’s Office warned, can have disastrous outcomes for children. 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.

If social media companies know that some of their product’s most fundamental features are inherently unsafe, they can and should be expected to rethink their strategy.

However, the law has loopholes.

For decades, it has been borderline impossible to hold social media companies responsible for application-related injuries and deaths. Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, website operators are ordinarily immune to any claims arising from content published on their platforms. This is a strong defense, and it is one that has been used to great effect by some of the country’s biggest technology companies. But TikTok’s decision to settle, coupled with the outcome of the remaining addiction trials, could signal a turning point.

You do not have to wait to start exploring your options.

Since founding the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. in 2005, Jed Dietrich, Esq., has helped his clients in New York City and throughout the state secure more than $300 million in damages. We could help you, too. Please send us a message online or call us today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a social media injury lawyer in New York City to schedule your free consultation and find out how much your case could be worth.

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 New York, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!