When social media began dominating the internet two decades ago, it was widely celebrated as a transformative technology that would bridge gaps between people and enhance access to information.
Today, corporations such as Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Google, the parent company of YouTube, and Snapchat, alongside newer platforms like TikTok, Discord, and the social gaming site Roblox, are confronting thousands of lawsuits in the US. These legal actions allege that, rather than benefiting users, these platforms have caused harm, particularly to children.
Collectively, the resolution of these lawsuits—whether they are settled out of court or result in jury verdicts against the companies—could fundamentally alter how social platforms function.
"This has created a stage that legal observers, regulators, and lawmakers are all closely watching," said Eric Talley, a lawyer and professor at Columbia Law School.
Talley noted that the growing wave of litigation against platforms is shaping public opinion, which is likely to influence political elections for years to come and affect the creation of new laws and regulations.
Many of these cases are being heard in California courts, where all major social platforms are based. Known as the "California effect," legal and policy shifts in the state often lead to nationwide changes.
"There is no longer any doubt that child safety on these platforms is a problem," said Alexis Shore Ingber, a communications law expert and professor at Syracuse University. "We are at a turning point. These cases are significant."
Earlier this year, Meta and YouTube suffered an unprecedented loss in a case brought by a young woman who argued she became addicted to social media as a child, contributing to her mental and emotional health issues. A jury ordered the companies to pay her a combined $6 million (£4.5 million) in damages. Both firms stated they disagreed with the verdict and plan to appeal.
Meta also lost a larger case in New Mexico, filed by the state's attorney general, which accused the company of misleading the public about the safety of its platforms for children, despite known issues of sexual exploitation of minors. Meta has indicated it will appeal this verdict as well.
During the years these cases were filed and resolved, Meta has introduced changes to its platforms aimed at improving safety for young users.
However, broader transformations to the platforms—including their design, functionality, and access—are likely to take several more years and additional court rulings against them.
Between this year and next, Meta and other major social platforms are expected to face multiple trials where juries could consider a range of claims from young users, their parents, school districts, and state attorneys alleging various negative effects from the design and operation of social media.
Even a billionaire is preparing to take Meta to trial over its hosting of advertisements that defraud people of money.
So, which cases are truly important?
The BBC reviewed numerous US cases to identify a select group of lawsuits against social media and social gaming companies that are scheduled for trial within the next year or so and could significantly impact the platforms' business and operations.
According to Adam J. Schwartz, a lawyer and founder of an online document review tool, these lawsuits "are the bellwether cases that will establish the direction and tone for shaping future law."
Social Media Adolescent Addiction MDL
This extensive multidistrict litigation (MDL) in California involves allegations from over 1,000 school districts across the US.
Broadly, the schools accuse Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok of being intentionally designed to be addictive, allegedly causing mental and emotional harm to children through excessive platform use.
The schools claim that addressing social media's negative effects has drained their resources and money, and they argue that the platforms should be deemed a "public nuisance" and held accountable for harming children's well-being.
Although a jury trial for some school district claims is set to begin in February, following recent settlements by the platforms with a school district that was to be the first trial, all cases could take a few more years to fully resolve.
If court rulings go against the platforms, changes could include how platforms display user engagement and who is allowed on them.
A YouTube spokesman stated: "The allegations in these complaints are simply not true."
A Snapchat spokeswoman said: "We fundamentally disagree with the allegations—we do not target schools."
Meta declined to comment, and TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
People of the State of California v. Meta
Attorneys for California and Colorado led a group of 29 states in filing a 2023 lawsuit against Meta and Instagram. It is scheduled for trial in August.
While this case is also before the same judge as the MDL in California, the states accuse Meta alone of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law enacted in 2000 to protect children under 13 from being targeted by online businesses.
According to court records, Meta has already provided over 2 million documents in this case.
If the states succeed in their claims, they demand that Meta better prevent users under 13 from using its platforms, remove data previously collected from underage users, and implement a range of other changes.
Meta uses such data for purposes like ad targeting and training its artificial intelligence (AI) models and tools.
A company spokesman declined to comment.
John Doe, a minor v. Roblox et al
This case against Roblox and Discord was filed by a 13-year-old boy in state court in San Mateo, California. The boy claims he was recently groomed and solicited on both platforms by an adult sexual predator, who was later arrested for crimes against over two dozen children.
The lawsuit argues that both platforms were defectively designed and engaged in false marketing about safety for young users, making them liable for the harm suffered by John Doe.
Roblox, a gaming-focused platform with many social media features, and Discord attempted to move the case to arbitration, a private legal process outside the court system. The court refused, but the case is currently on hold pending the companies' appeal of that decision.
If Roblox and Discord lose their appeals, the case could go to trial later this year. A verdict against the platforms might lead to changes in age-gating and the ability of strangers to interact with young users through platform messages and chat spaces.
A Discord spokeswoman declined to comment. A Roblox representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Forrest v. Meta
Not all cases against social media platforms heading to trial involve harm to children.
Dr. Andrew Forrest, an Australian billionaire, sued Meta in California in 2022, alleging the company failed to combat scam advertisements that tricked Australians into fake investments, which reportedly proliferated on Facebook using his name and likeness.
With claims including misuse of his image and unjust enrichment—since Meta profits from ads regardless of their purpose or outcome—Forrest's lawsuit could be highly significant.
He is asking the court to rule that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act cannot be used as a defense by Meta in this case. Meta argues that Section 230 protects it from Forrest's claims.
Enacted in 1996, Section 230 generally grants legal immunity to platforms for content occurring on them.
If the court ultimately sides with Forrest, it could overturn decades of legal defenses used by online platforms.
A Meta spokesman declined to comment.