Families, states, and school districts have sued Roblox, Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord, YouTube, and video game makers. The claims fall into two broad groups: children who were sexually exploited by someone they met online, and children who allegedly were harmed by the way apps and games are designed.[1][3][8][9]
A few cases have reached verdicts or settlements, but most are still allegations working through the courts. The table below shows where each group of cases stands as of September 2026, with a link to a full guide for each one.
Fast Facts About Tech Harm Lawsuits
- In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and awarded one young woman $6 million. It was a test case tied to thousands of others.[3]
- In August 2026, Meta agreed to a proposed settlement of up to $17 billion with a coalition of 51 attorneys general. That money goes to states, and it is no payment to individual families.[5]
- The federal Roblox exploitation cases were grouped together in December 2025 for pretrial work. That step made no finding that Roblox is liable.[1]
Two Kinds of Claims Parents Should Keep Apart
Child Exploitation Claims
These cases say an adult used a platform to reach a child and then groomed, sexually exploited, or assaulted them. In the Roblox litigation, plaintiffs allege that offenders found children on Roblox and moved the conversation to apps such as Discord, Snapchat, and Instagram. The claims focus on what the companies knew, what they said about safety, and which safeguards they used.[1]
If you are worried this is happening now, start with the warning signs of online grooming or the steps to take if your child is being sextorted.
Social Media and Gaming Harm Claims
These cases say apps and games were built to keep young people using them compulsively, contributing to depression, anxiety, and other harms. In the first trial, the plaintiff’s lawyers pointed to features such as infinite scroll, constant notifications, autoplay, and beauty filters.[3]
A lawsuit’s use of the word “addiction” is a legal claim about product design. It cannot diagnose your child. For the clinical side, see how social media affects teens.
What Allegations, Rulings, and Settlements Mean
- Allegation. What one side says happened. A complaint is the starting point of a case, and nothing in it has been proven.
- Ruling. A judge’s decision on a specific question. Many rulings are procedural, such as whether a case can go to arbitration, and do not decide who is at fault.[2]
- Verdict. A jury’s decision after trial. It applies to the parties in that case and can be appealed.[3]
- Settlement. An agreement that ends a claim. The U.S. Justice Department’s 2026 TikTok privacy settlement, for example, resolved the claims without any finding of liability.[6]
How Coordinated Cases Work
When many similar lawsuits are filed in federal courts around the country, a panel of judges can send them to a single judge for pretrial work. That is called multidistrict litigation, or an MDL. The Roblox order did this so evidence and expert disputes would not be repeated in every court. It did not certify a class, find anyone liable, or order payments.[1]
California has a similar state-court system, a Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding (JCCP). The social media cases in Los Angeles are coordinated this way.[13]
Inside these proceedings, a small number of test cases, called bellwethers, go to trial first. Their outcomes can shape how the rest are handled, but a bellwether result does not decide any other family’s claim.[3]
The panel can also say no. It twice refused to combine video game addiction cases because the games, companies, and players’ histories differed too much.[8]
Tech Harm Lawsuit Tracker (as of September 2026)
| Case family | What it’s about | Where it stands (as of September 2026) | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roblox child exploitation (MDL No. 3166) | Claims that offenders found children on Roblox, moved contact to other apps, and exploited or assaulted them.[1] | Federal cases coordinated in Northern California since December 2025. On September 3, 2026, an appeals court ruled Roblox gave up its right to arbitrate in one case.[1][2] | Roblox lawsuit guide |
| Social media adolescent addiction (MDL No. 3047, California JCCP, state attorneys general) | Claims that Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat were designed to hook young users.[3] | Meta reached a proposed settlement of up to $17 billion with 51 attorneys general in August 2026. That deal resolves the states’ lawsuit, which leaves individual and school district cases outside it.[5] | Social media addiction lawsuit guide |
| Social media addiction trials | The first test cases to reach a jury or judge. | $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube (March 2026). New Mexico judgment ordering Meta to pay $375 million in penalties plus $567 million into an abatement fund, which Meta has said it will appeal.[3][11][16] | Social media addiction trial tracker |
| TikTok | Children’s privacy claims and state claims about design and safety promises.[6][7] | $400 million federal privacy settlement (August 2026). Texas says a judge found TikTok liable for misleading safety claims in September 2026, with a penalties trial expected.[6][7] | TikTok lawsuit guide |
| Video game addiction | Claims that games such as Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft were built to drive compulsive play and spending.[8] | Requests to combine the cases were denied in 2024 and again in December 2025. Cases proceed separately.[8] | Video game addiction lawsuit guide |
| Discord | State claims that Discord misled families about safety and left children exposed to predators.[9][10] | Several states have sued. In July 2026, Texas announced an agreed temporary injunction requiring age assurance and safer default settings while its case continues.[10] | Discord lawsuit guide |
| Instagram (Meta) | Addictive design and child safety claims against Instagram and Facebook.[3][11] | Lost the Los Angeles and New Mexico trials, and reached a proposed settlement with the states in August 2026.[3][5][11] | Instagram lawsuit guide |
| Snapchat (Snap) | Addictive design claims, plus state claims that predators use the app to reach children.[4][12] | Settled before the first Los Angeles trial and the first school district trial. Louisiana sued Snap in August 2026.[4][12][14] | Snapchat lawsuit guide |
What the Headlines Do Not Tell You
A large settlement can sound like a fund families can claim from. The Meta agreement pays states. California says much of its share is earmarked for preventing or repairing harms to young people, and the announcement sets no payment for individual users.[5]
A verdict in one case also does not settle anyone else’s. The $6 million Los Angeles award went to one plaintiff, and both companies said they would appeal.[3]
Most families’ questions are narrower. What happened to your child, which company was involved, and what records exist? A lawyer can answer those. A tracker cannot.
Getting Help for Your Child Comes First
A legal case can take years, and your child’s needs cannot wait for it. If screen use is part of the worry, a social media addiction test can help you put what you are seeing into words, and you can find a therapist who works with technology-related problems.
If someone met your child through a game or app and you want to understand how that contact usually starts, read about how predators approach children on Roblox and the kids online safety guide.
If your child is in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 for free, confidential support 24 hours a day. If a life is in immediate danger, call 911.[15]
How to Request a Case Review
There are two separate reviews, and they match the two kinds of claims above. Choose the one that fits what happened.
If someone your child met online groomed, exploited, sextorted, or assaulted them, start here:
Was your child harmed by someone they met on Roblox?
Grooming, exploitation, or sextortion that started on Roblox, even if it later moved to Discord, Snapchat, or another app.
No cost. No obligation. It takes about two minutes.
If you believe social media use harmed your child, for example through compulsive use, depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, or self-harm, start here:
Did social media harm your child?
Addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or self-harm linked to heavy social media use.
A parent or guardian can start the review.
Asking for a review is not filing a lawsuit, and it does not mean your family qualifies. It is a way to get your questions in front of someone who can answer them.
Sources
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. (2025, December 12). In re: Roblox Corporation Child Sexual Exploitation and Assault Litigation, Transfer Order, MDL No. 3166.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. (2026, September 3). Uhl v. Roblox Corporation, No. 25-5057 (unpublished memorandum).
- Allyn, B. NPR. (2026, March 25). Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial.
- Louisiana Office of the Attorney General. (2026, August). Attorney General Liz Murrill Announces $12.19 Billion Meta Settlement and Legal Action Against Snap, Inc and Discord.
- California Office of the Attorney General. (2026, August 26). Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta.
- U.S. Department of Justice. (2026, August 21). Justice Department Secures $400M Settlement with TikTok and ByteDance to Resolve Children’s Privacy Litigation.
- Texas Office of the Attorney General. (2026, September 10). Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic Victory Making Texas the First State in the Nation to Hold TikTok Liable for Harming Children.
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. (2025, December 10). In re: Gateway Video Game Addiction Products Liability Litigation, Order Denying Transfer, MDL No. 3168.
- New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. (2025, April 17). AG Platkin Sues Messaging App “Discord” for Unlawful Practices That Expose NJ Kids to Child Predators and Violent, Sexual Content.
- Texas Office of the Attorney General. (2026, July 24). Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic Legal Victory Forcing Discord to Protect Texas Children from Online Predators.
- First Judicial District Court, Santa Fe County, New Mexico. (2026, August 6). State of New Mexico ex rel. Torrez v. Meta Platforms, Inc., No. D-101-CV-2023-02838, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Judgment.
- Bond, S. NPR. (2026, January 27). Social media giants face trial over claims they harm kids.
- Grabenstein, H. PBS News. (2026, January 28). What legal experts say about a major “bellwether trial” over child social media addiction.
- Bloomberg News, via Claims Journal. (2026, June 1). Social Media Giants to Pay $27 Million in School Suit Accord.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (n.d.). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Santa Fe New Mexican. (2026, August). Meta asks New Mexico court to stay enforcement of $942 million judgment pending appeal.