Families sue Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube over deaths of four teens

The families of four teenagers who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, claiming the social media platforms caused years of harm that contributed to the deaths of their children.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Delaware Superior Court, is the latest in a growing number of legal cases accusing major social media companies of designing addictive platforms that put young users at risk.

The case was brought by the Social Media Victims Law Center on behalf of four families from Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota and Tennessee. The teenagers died over a 14-month period between July 2024 and September 2025.

According to the complaint, the four teens experienced social media addiction, severe sleep loss, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts after years of using the platforms. The victims were Livi Castro, 13, Riv Kelleher, 14, Nathaniel Chambers, 17, and Dawson Holden, 18.

The lawsuit alleges that the companies were aware of the harmful effects of their platforms on young users but failed to take adequate action.

Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said the deaths occurred even after similar lawsuits had already been filed against the companies.

"These platforms continue to put children's lives at risk despite repeated warnings," Bergman said.

Google, the parent company of YouTube, expressed sympathy for the families and said it is reviewing the lawsuit.

A company spokesperson said Google has worked with mental health and parenting experts to develop age-appropriate experiences for young users and provide parents with stronger safety controls.

Meta, TikTok and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, said parents, campaigners and whistleblowers have warned lawmakers for years about the dangers of social media, while progress on new safety laws has been slow.

The US Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act two years before this lawsuit was filed, but the legislation has yet to become law because Congress has not reached agreement on its final version.

The four companies are already facing several lawsuits from states and individuals over claims that their platforms harm children's mental health.

Meta is currently defending a lawsuit in Tennessee, where state officials accuse the company of making Instagram intentionally addictive for young users without properly warning them about the risks.

The company is also due to face trial in federal court in California later this month over claims brought by several states that it contributed to the youth mental health crisis and illegally collected data from children under 13 without parental consent.

While some lawsuits against social media companies have been dismissed or settled outside court, legal challenges continue to grow.

Earlier this week, Meta said it spent $2.4 billion on legal expenses during the second quarter, contributing to a 14 percent decline in its quarterly profit.