Empowering families to seek accountability for TikTok's harms
Case Overview
About the TikTok Addiction Lawsuits: Injuries to Children and Teens
With a TikTok Addiction lawsuit, parents and families can hold TikTok accountable for allegedly creating addictive and harmful features in their apps and concealing the known mental health risks to youth.
In March, a jury awarded $6 million to a young woman harmed by social media use. Recently, a school district settled with TikTok, Meta, and Snap, and YouTube shortly before trial.
Our attorney Michael Weinkowitz has been trusted by courts to help lead the fight against TikTok. He is appointed Co-Chair of the TikTok Liability Team in the federal consolidation of thousands of lawsuits against social media company.
The lawsuits seek compensation for mental health issues developed from excessive social media use like:
Self-harm
Depression
Suicidal Ideation
Anxiety
Body Dysmorphia
Eating Disorders
Suicide
Gibbs Mura, A Law Group, represents more than 500 families whose children were harmed by social media. Our trauma-informed lawyers help parents protect their children and navigate the legal process.
Parents and young adults are holding TikTok accountable for allegedly harming youth.
U.S. Senator to TikTok: “You have a product that’s killing people.”
Learn the Facts
The Impacts of TikTok Addiction on Mental Health
Numerous psychologists and studies from groups like Amnesty International and the Center for Countering Digital Hate say that TikTok’s platform design promotes self-harm, eating disorders, and other dangerous behavior onto app users. Amnesty International found that “TikTok’s very business model is inherently abusive and privileges engagement to keep users hooked on the platform.”
Individuals, parents, school districts, and more than 40 states are suing TikTok to hold it accountable for purposefully designing addictive algorithms and features that may cause child and teen depression, anxiety, self-harm, and eating disorders.
New research shows a disturbing trend:
10- to 14-year-olds heavily addicted to social media faced two to three times the risk of suicidal behavior.
Weill Cornell Medical College study (2025)
If you or your child experienced any of these illnesses or symptoms, we may be able to represent you in a TikTok lawsuit seeking to recover compensation that can help with therapy, hospitalizations, and medical bills. If your child died by suicide, you may be eligible to file a legal claim for wrongful death.
Call or message us today for a free, confidential consultation about your potential case.
Nearly 50% of all teenagers, 13 to 17 years old, said social media made them feel worse about their bodies.
Digital Wellness Lab’s Pulse Survey 2022: Adolescent Media Use
Our TikTok lawyers are leading the fight for children harmed by TikTok
A federal court has appointed our attorneys Michael Weinkowitz and Andre Mura to leadership roles in lawsuits against TikTok and other social media companies. They serve as Co-Chairs of the TikTok Liability Team, Michael is also appointed to the Plaintiff Leadership Committee, as well as the School District Committee for lawsuits brought by school districts.
TikTok and other social media platforms argued they were immune from certain legal claims and tried to have the lawsuits dismissed. Our firm successfully opposed those efforts, and both federal and state judges agreed, allowing the cases to move forward. These legal victories were featured in BBC, Bloomberg Law, Reuters, The Verge, and more.
Latest News
Latest News on TikTok Addiction
May 29, 2026: Kentucky School District Settled Before Trial Begins
Meta, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok settled with Breathitt County Schools on May 21, 2026. The trail had been set to begin on June 12, 2026.
Breathitt Count Schools was the first school district set to go to trial from a group of over 1,300 district suing social media companies. These school districts are seeking compensation for being forced to spend enormous resources supporting students experiencing mental health and educational harms allegedly caused by social media addiction.
Gibbs Mura partner Michael Weinkowitz led Breathitt County School’s case against TikTok.
In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million to a young woman harmed by social media use, TikTok, along with Sna
October 8, 2024: States Sue TikTok Over Harms to Children and Teens
On October 8, 2024, TikTok was hit with new lawsuits from 13 states and the District of Columbia claiming that the app knowingly harmed children and teens by designing addictive features. TikTok “chose addiction and more use and more eyeballs and more mental and physical harm for our young people in order to get profits,” said California Attorney General, Rob Bonta.
U.S. Senators Criticize TikTok for Harming Children
[Social media companies like TikTok] have a product that’s killing people.
[Tiktok is failing] to police themselves at our kids’ expense.
U.S. senators during social media hearing
At the end of January 2024, Congress demanded that the CEO of TikTok account for the way its platform hurts children. One senator stated that social media companies like TikTok “have a product that’s killing people,” and another senator criticized TikTok for failing “to police themselves at our kids’ expense.” Families are increasingly aware that they’re not alone in their experiences but have yet to see any accountability.
Hear from experts on TikTok addiction
TikTok’s Addictive Algorithm:
Teens scroll TikTok almost constantly, more than any other social media platform.
PEW Research Center, Teens and Social Media Fact Sheet
TikTok is designed to be addictive: Lisa Dittmer, Amnesty International Researcher, explains that “TikTok’s manipulative and addictive design practices,” are “designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible[…] The platform’s algorithmic content recommender system, credited with enabling the rapid global rise of the platform, exposes children and young adults with pre-existing mental health challenges to serious risks of harm.”
Take Action
Start Your Claim in 3 Easy Steps
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Please fill out a short intake survey to help our legal team evaluate whether you may qualify for the lawsuit.
Speak with Our Legal Team
If we believe you might qualify for the lawsuit, our legal team will give you a call to gather a bit more information.
Sign a Representation Agreement
If our attorneys determine we can represent you, you will need to sign a representation agreement.
Are these individual lawsuits or TikTok class action lawsuits?
The TikTok addiction lawsuits are not part of a class action lawsuit but are a group of individually filed cases known as a mass tort lawsuit. These are individual cases that share a common issue: children suffering injuries and harms from TikTok. Each person allegedly harmed by TikTok files their own individual case, but many victims share similar claims against TikTok.
Parents are making their voices heard by joining the TikTok lawsuits. Young adults who were harmed by TikTok are also filing cases against the company. They recognize that it’s not their fault or their child’s fault, that they’re not alone, and that families can do something to hold TikTok accountable. They are seeking justice and trying to ensure that no child is harmed again.
How do I begin the lawsuit process with a TikTok lawyer?
Discussing your or your child’s physical and mental health can be incredibly tough. Contact our trauma-informed legal team to confidentially discuss the best options for you and your family. Consultation calls are entirely free and confidential.
Steve litigates a wide range of complex cases, from environmental mass torts to consumer class actions. He has secured over $1 billion for his clients.
Amelia plays a crucial role on case teams representing survivors of sexual assault and parents whose children have suffered from social media addiction.
Hanne represents consumers in class action and complex litigation, with particular focuses on unfair business practices, products liability, constitutional issues, and privacy law.
Beimnet supports the firm’s social media addiction and employment case teams by assisting clients through various stages of litigation.
Gibbs Mura, A Law Group, is trailblazing the fight to hold social media companies accountable for the harm they cause. Our lawyers represent 500+ families whose children were harmed by social media companies, as well as young adults grappling with the effects of social media addiction.
