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Harms We Review
Understand the concerns we review, who can contact us and what helps us assess a case.
Which injuries may support a claim
There is no single checklist, and every family is different. In general, the claims now moving through the courts involve a child or teenager who used one or more social media platforms heavily, and who then suffered a serious, documented harm. The sections below describe situations we review.
Depression and anxiety
We review persistent symptoms that led to medical care, counseling, treatment or difficulties at school. Observational research cited in the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory links heavier social media use with poorer mental health, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Eating disorders and body dysmorphia
We review concerns involving anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder and body-image difficulties that required treatment. Lawsuits challenge appearance-altering filters, public like counts and recommendation systems. In Facebook’s internal research, about one in three surveyed teen girls who already reported body-image difficulties said Instagram made them feel worse.
Self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide
Cutting or other self-injury, suicidal thoughts, a suicide attempt, a psychiatric hospitalization, or the loss of a child may warrant a case review. Preserving relevant accounts and records can help that review. If you have lost a child, a wrongful death claim may be available to parents, and the deadlines are often different from other claims.
Sextortion, grooming and sexual exploitation
Contact that began on a platform and led to exploitation: an adult who reached a child through friend suggestions or open direct messages, explicit images obtained by pressure or deception, or threats to release those images. Lawsuits allege that weak age verification and parental controls that did not work as advertised left children exposed.
Severe sleep disruption
We review serious sleep difficulties alongside account activity, nighttime notifications, and medical or school records.
What matters most is documentation. A claim is far stronger when a doctor, therapist, counselor or hospital recorded what happened and when. If your child was treated, those records are usually the single most important thing you have. You do not need to gather them before contacting us, and please do not send them through this website.
Who can bring a claim
- A parent or legal guardian on behalf of a child who is still a minor.
- A young adult who was harmed as a teenager and is now 18 or older. Many people in this situation can bring a claim themselves.
- Parents of a child who died. Wrongful death claims follow different rules and different deadlines from state to state.
What we look at first
| Age | Heavy use usually began before age 18. |
|---|---|
| Treatment | A doctor, therapist or counselor diagnosed or treated the harm, or there was a hospital stay. |
| Timing | When the harm occurred. Filing deadlines vary by state and are different for minors. |
| Platforms | Which apps were used, and how heavily. |
| Location | We review inquiries from families in every U.S. state. |
If you are not sure whether your family’s situation fits, the review is free and there is no obligation. It is better to ask early than to discover later that a deadline has passed.