Mass tort claims against social media companies allege that Meta (Instagram/Facebook), TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube deliberately designed addictive features targeting minors, causing documented mental health injuries including depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide. The MDL follows the same product liability theory used against tobacco: the companies knew their products were harmful and concealed it.
Dopamine loop design (infinite scroll, notifications, likes) constitutes the alleged design defect. Frances Haugen’s Meta internal documents are key causation evidence showing the company knew about teen mental health harms. Expert testimony on persuasive technology, social comparison, and brain development in adolescents supports the causation chain.
MDL 3047 is in active discovery and bellwether selection. Judge Gonzalez Rogers has been aggressive in pushing cases forward. School district litigation is a parallel track. First bellwether trials projected 2025–2026.