Syracuse, 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 Syracuse Families. If You or Your Child Have 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 agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit mere days before the case was expected to move to trial.

Details of the settlement have not been made public, but attorneys for the 20-year-old plaintiff called the agreement “a good resolution” to what has been described as an unprecedented legal challenge.

The woman behind the lawsuit, identified in court documents by the initials “K.G.M.,” accused TikTok of creating a social media environment that was designed to be as engaging and addictive as possible. In court documents, K.G.M. described how her childhood came to be dominated by digital platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat. These platforms helped K.G.M. keep in touch with friends and family, but they also introduced a host of new problems, leading her to struggle with compulsive social media use.

K.G.M. ultimately began to suffer from depression, eating disorders, and self-harm.

Although K.G.M. is far from the first person to sue a social media company, her lawsuit was one of the first to attempt an aggressive bypass of one of the industry’s most successful defenses: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a federal law that shields website operators from liability relating to content posted by their users.

Instead of arguing that the content she saw on TikTok caused her depression, K.G.M. said that TikTok bears ultimate responsibility on account of the decisions it made in designing the application. These decisions include the use of highly personalized algorithms and aggressive pop-up notifications, which can redirect children’s attention and keep them engaged for hours at a time. K.G.M.’s lawsuit suggested that companies like TikTok knew that social media overuse can hurt kids’ mental health but instead of changing course, they dug their heels in, choosing profit over safety at almost every opportunity.

K.G.M. is continuing to press a related set of claims against other social media companies, including Snap and Instagram owner Meta. Hundreds of similar lawsuits, filed on behalf of thousands of families, school districts, and cities, remain pending. TikTok’s choice to settle means that K.G.M.’s first case would not set a precedent, but it likely signals that the tide is turning against an industry that has spent decades fleeing from consequences of its own making.

If you or your child has been injured as a result of social media addiction, you could be entitled to compensation, too. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent more than 30 years filing, fighting, and winning cases like yours. Do not delay: call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a social media addiction lawyer near Syracuse and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

K.G.M. filed a series of claims against TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and Snap in 2023.

In her initial filing, K.G.M. said that she became addicted to social media as a child. She signed up for YouTube when she was eight, then made a TikTok when she was 10. K.G.M. had accounts on other services, too, including Instagram and Snapchat, all of which she used regularly. Over time, K.G.M.’s regular use became compulsive. Social media started to dominate her life, leading her to suffer from depression, anxiety, and persistent body-image issues.

K.G.M.’s lawyers argued that the owners of TikTok did not just know that their products could harm children’s mental health; they ignored the evidence, including evidence obtained through internal investigations, and collectively decided to ignore the problem for as long as possible.

The lawsuit provided a variety of examples of how technology companies employ practices they know are inherently dangerous. These practices include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Cosmetic filters. Social media applications like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat all offer cosmetic filters that enhance or otherwise alter users’ appearances. Studies indicate that these filters can cause body-image issues in teenagers and young adults, potentially to the point that children often experience marked improvements in their mental health when taking breaks from social media.
2. Intentional design features. K.G.M.’s lawsuit includes transcripts of corporate documents obtained during discovery. In one exchange, a YouTube executive demanded that the platform be redesigned to “compel users to come back more and more often.” One of the proposed solutions was to make YouTube more “addictive.”
3. Engagement-seeking algorithms. Almost every major social media platform employs highly personalized algorithms. These algorithms serve users content that the algorithm believes to be relevant or engaging. Social media algorithms may also recommend content that is age-inappropriate, illegal, or otherwise objectionable.

A significant and growing body of evidence indicates that social media often plays a profoundly negative role in children’s lives. In 2023, for instance, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office released an advisory linking social media use to:

1. Cyber-bullying;
2. Sexual abuse and predation;
3. Feelings of depression and worthlessness;
4. Lowered self-esteem;
5. Decreased feelings of self-confidence; and
6. The development of serious mental health conditions.

Today, most experts do not doubt these conclusions.

However, the technology industry has never been held wholly accountable for many of its most contentious choices.

For decades, social media companies have fallen back on a defense that predates the release of smartphones: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Under Section 230, website operators are typically shielded from harm resulting from user-posted content. This defense has long been a bulwark of the industry; in the past, it was used to great effect, helping YouTube beat claims that it facilitated terrorism by hosting Islamic State propaganda videos.

K.G.M.’s lawsuit, and others like it, have tried to turn this defense upside-down by arguing that, even if social media platforms are not always responsible for the content users choose to share, they can and should be liable when applications are designed to disregard safety. Legal experts believe that this strategy is strong and could hold the industry to a standard it is never had to meet.

If you have been hurt by social media addiction, you could be entitled to exercise your rights, too.

Since our founding in 2005, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has helped families in Syracuse assert their rights to a fair recovery. Our experienced team of product liability lawyers and social media injury attorneys has helped our clients statewide 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 addiction lawyer near Syracuse 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 Syracuse, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!