Call 911. If your child is thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. You can also text HOME to 741741. Your child’s safety comes first; the legal questions can wait.
What the lawsuits claim
The lawsuits focus on how the apps were designed, not on what other people posted. Families and their lawyers allege that the companies built features to keep young users coming back, knew from their own research that some teens were being harmed, and did not warn parents or users. The features most often challenged are:
- recommendation feeds that keep serving whatever holds a user’s attention, including content about dieting, self-harm and appearance;
- endless scrolling and autoplay, with no natural stopping point;
- notifications designed to pull users back, including late at night;
- likes, follower counts and streaks that encourage constant checking and comparison;
- appearance filters; and
- age checks, parental controls and safety tools that the lawsuits say were too weak.
The companies dispute these claims, and each family still has to prove its own case. See where the lawsuits stand for the verdicts, judgments and settlements so far.
Injuries in these cases
The cases involve serious, documented harm, usually beginning while the person was a minor:
- Depression and anxiety
- Eating disorders and body-image disorders
- Self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts
- Severe sleep disruption
- Compulsive, addiction-like use
- Sexual exploitation or harassment by adults met through an app
- Cyberbullying that led to treatment
A diagnosis by itself does not prove that an app caused the injury. What matters is your child’s story: when the use started, how heavy it was, when the problems began, what treatment was needed, and what else was happening at the time.
Who may have a claim
We look for these things in a potential case. You don’t need to know the answers before you contact us:
- Heavy use that began as a minor, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat or YouTube.
- A significant injury that was treated: therapy, psychiatric care, medication, an eating-disorder program, an emergency visit or a hospital stay.
- A timeline that connects the use to the injury.
- Losses: treatment costs, effects on school and daily life, and future care.
- Time to file. Deadlines depend on the state and the person’s age. Contact us before assuming it is too late.
This is not a class action. Each case is brought individually for one child.
How it works
- Tell us what happened. Fill out the questionnaire below, or call us and we will go through it with you.
- We review it. We look at the timeline, the treatment and the evidence, and may ask for records. We tell you honestly whether the facts support a claim.
- You decide. If we can take the case, you receive a written agreement that names every lawyer involved and how the fee works. Nothing is filed without your approval.
- The case is filed in the federal case in California or in the right state court, and we keep you updated as it moves.
Who handles your case
Grove and Associates PLC, based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, handles intake and your family’s evaluation and stays your point of contact. We work on these cases with McSweeney Langevin, a law firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Justin Grove is licensed in Michigan; each case is filed by a lawyer admitted to practice in the court where it is filed. You will know every lawyer involved, and how the fee is shared, before any work begins.
What it costs
Nothing up front. The lawyers are paid only if there is a recovery, by settlement, award, verdict or judgment. The fee is one-third of the net recovery, under a written agreement governed by Michigan Court Rule 8.121. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees and no case costs. See how contingency fees work.
The confidential questionnaire
The questionnaire takes about 20 to 30 minutes. It helps to have the dates your child started using each app, the names of doctors or counselors, and any diagnosis. Answer as accurately as you can and don’t guess; we will follow up on anything that is unclear.
The questionnaire also contains the contingency fee agreement. Submitting it does not make us your lawyers; that happens only if the firm agrees to take the case, and we will talk with you first.
Form not loading, or easier on a full screen? Open the questionnaire in a new tab, or call 313.733.1204.
The questionnaire is hosted by Jotform and goes only to Grove and Associates PLC and McSweeney Langevin. See our privacy policy. If your child is in immediate danger, call 911 or 988 instead of using this form.
Rather talk it through first? Leave your number below and we will call you back. Please don’t include medical details there; we will ask for them by phone.
Advertising. This page provides general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube are trademarks of their owners, which are not affiliated with this firm and do not endorse it.
Questions people ask us
Is this a class action?
No. Each family brings its own case for its own child. Thousands of individual cases are grouped together in federal court in California, and others in California state court, so that pretrial work is shared. Each case still depends on that child’s facts, records and injuries.
My child is an adult now. Can we still file?
Possibly. Many people in these cases began using the apps as children and are now young adults; the plaintiff in the first California jury trial was 20. Filing deadlines depend on the state and on the person’s age, so contact us before assuming it is too late.
Does the $17.1 billion settlement pay my family?
No. That August 2026 settlement resolved the claims of state attorneys general, and the money goes to the states for programs. It does not pay individual families or replace an individual injury case.
How much could a case be worth?
No one can say before the records are reviewed. Value depends on the injury, the treatment needed now and in the future, how the child’s life changed, and the evidence connecting the injury to the platform. A past verdict in another family’s case does not predict the result in yours.
Do we need a diagnosis?
It helps a great deal. Cases are built on records showing a significant injury: treatment by a therapist, psychiatrist or doctor, medication, an eating-disorder program or a hospital stay. If your child has not been evaluated, getting care comes first, for your child’s sake.
What if my child deleted the account?
Tell us. Do not delete anything else. Account information can sometimes be requested from the company, and screen-time reports, messages and school or medical records can show what happened and when.
Is what we tell you confidential?
Yes. Information you share to get legal advice is kept confidential, even before you hire us. The questionnaire goes only to Grove and Associates PLC and our co-counsel, McSweeney Langevin, and is never used for marketing.
Which companies are being sued?
The cases name Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Snap (Snapchat), ByteDance (TikTok) and Google (YouTube). Which companies are named in a case depends on the apps the child used.