In late September, attorneys launched a landmark, multidistrict lawsuit against several technology giants, accusing them of creating and driving social media addiction in minors. The lawsuit is the first of its kind and recounts harm from many states, including California.

The lawsuit draws on a mountain of research on social media harms and on stories from thousands of young people affected by them.

At the core of the lawsuit’s claims is the argument that social media is addictive by design because it taps directly into the same neurological reward systems that are activated by gambling, slot machines, and other forms of behavioral addiction. When it comes to younger people who know nothing of its dangers, social media companies are allegedly training a generation of addicted people.

Who Filed the Social Media Lawsuit and Where Will It Be Tried?

The In re Social Media Adolescent Addiction / Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3047) is a massive federal case that combines hundreds of lawsuits from across the United States against companies such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat.

The lawsuit includes families, individuals, school districts, and even some state attorneys. The general claim is that social media platform makers purposefully designed it to be addictive and encourage compulsive use, such as “forever scrolling” or doomscrolling. For younger people, these behaviors are linked to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep disruption, and self-harm. In fact, some users have joined communities dedicated to topics like eating disorders or self-harm and found themselves in a rabbit hole of dysfunction that encouraged the behavior. All individuals and families who are part of the lawsuit say they have experienced harm.

What Does Social Media Addiction Look Like?

People who are addicted to social media have trouble focusing on almost anything else. Younger people may become isolated or obsessed with their online images or scroll compulsively into the late night. No matter what content they consume, their brain will be rewarded for it, creating an unhealthy feedback loop that relies more on “likes” than critical thinking.

Why does this happen? Research shows that social media platforms stimulate the brain’s mesolimbic dopamine system, which is the same reward pathway activated by gambling, drugs, and other addictive behaviors. Each “like,” comment, or new follower triggers a dopamine release, creating short bursts of pleasure and satisfaction.

Dopamine also provides motivation and anticipation of rewards, which is where the addiction comes in. The brain learns to expect a reward, and when the reward doesn’t come (for example, a post gets fewer likes), the user feels discomfort or craving.

This unpredictable cycle of reward and disappointment is what keeps people coming back.

Over time, the brain becomes desensitized to dopamine. Users need to spend more time scrolling or chasing likes to feel the same dopamine “high.”  This pattern mirrors the tolerance seen in substance addiction and gambling addiction. For some young people, this may mean staying up late at night, ignoring schoolwork and responsibilities, and being preoccupied with what is happening online.

Is Social Media Designed to Be Addictive?

Experts say that the addictive loop doesn’t happen by accident. Social media is intentionally designed to increase the number of interactions from its users. They have departments that study user behavior and perfect their system to encourage:

  • Infinite scrolling: No natural stopping point means the brain never gets a “closure” signal.
  • Autoplay and algorithmic feeds: Each new post or video is personalized to hold your attention longer.
  • Intermittent notifications: Alerts about likes, tags, or messages trigger dopamine surges even before the user opens the app.
  • Streaks and social pressure: Features like Snapchat’s “Snap streaks” create emotional incentives not to break daily engagement habits.
  • Reward metrics (likes, views, followers): Quantifying social validation gamifies interaction, turning self-expression into competition.

Much of social media is designed based on gambling psychology and game theory. Many people don’t understand that their behavior is being manipulated, especially people whose brains are still forming. That’s not what most people would think of when they think about social media. For many, it’s just a place to find hobbies and keep up with friends and family.

For others, it can be a dark place. Many young people are harmed by other users through behavior such as grooming or bullying. Others are drawn into online communities that celebrate the perpetuation of mental illness, such as communities celebrating anorexia or self-harm.

These lawsuits look to hold companies accountable for harm in a similar way that the tobacco and then opioid lawsuits did. If based on the opioid lawsuits, money would go to reparations, such as anxiety treatment, as well as requiring a new way of doing business that doesn’t change the way a person’s brain works.

On October 20, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang told TikTok to produce communications and materials from employees responsible for “user safety, media inquiries, or complaint handling”. However, he did not allow a subpoena for an incident involving an influencer named Eugenia Cooney, In May 2025, she appeared unwell during a livestream and was seen visiting the company’s New York offices not too much later. Communications about that event will be kept out of court.

Getting Help for Addiction

If you or somebody you love is struggling with addiction, help is available.  Millions of people, from every walk of life, have needed help to get free from their substance use disorder. The good news is that treatment is available, and you don’t have to live the life of addiction anymore. Compassionate professionals are ready to help you at 1-800-425-1564. Give them a call to learn more about your options. You’re not alone!