Key Points

• Tennessee alleges Meta designed Instagram to drive compulsive use among children and teenagers, then concealed internal research showing the platform was harming them.
• The case went before a Davidson County jury on July 27, 2026, and is expected to run roughly seven weeks.
• Families whose children suffered serious mental health harm after compulsive social media use may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation.

Why It Matters

Tennessee’s case is one of the first state lawsuits over social media product design to reach a jury. The outcome will influence how courts treat a central legal question: whether a platform’s design features, rather than the posts its users write, can be the cause of harm to children. Plaintiffs in recent trials have argued exactly that, and the theory has begun to overcome the federal law that has long shielded online platforms from liability for user content. That question sits underneath thousands of lawsuits now pending on behalf of families nationwide, including families in Texas.

Tennessee Sued Meta Over the Design of Instagram

In October 2023, the State of Tennessee filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that the company knew Instagram was harming young users, kept that research to itself, and continued to promote the platform as safe. 

If your child used Instagram or other social media platforms and was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, or other serious mental health conditions, you may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation. 

Find out whether you qualify or start the process of filing your claim today by contacting the lawyers at Hissey, Mulderig & Friend  toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or send us a message using the free claims submission form located on the right side of this page. 

Lawsuit Alleges Meta Knew Instagram Harmed Young Users

According to its lawsuit filed against Instagram, the state of Tennessee alleges that tools such as autoplay, Reels, push notifications, and disappearing content were designed to hold the attention of younger users, and that Meta did not disclose its own internal research linking Instagram use to harm in young people.  

The lawsuit also alleges that Meta studied the psychology and behavior of young users so it could take advantage of their developmental vulnerabilities through design features they would find difficult to resist, in order to capture more of their time and data. 

Tennessee has also alleged that Meta employees repeatedly warned Mark Zuckerberg about research showing Instagram caused depression, anxiety, sleep loss, and other mental health harms in teenagers, and that he declined to fund efforts to fix those problems.  

In January 2024, the Attorney General’s office released an unredacted version of the complaint, which the state says shows Meta chose profits over the mental health of its young users. The announcement from the Tennessee Attorney General remains available online.  

What Tennessee Wants the Court to Do

Most consumer protection cases are about money. However, in addition, Tennessee’s lawsuit against Meta is also asking the court to order changes to Instagram itself.

The state has asked the court to impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation, to require Meta to warn young users about the risks of Instagram, and to permanently bar the company from using the features the state says drive compulsive use among children and teens. That last request is called injunctive relief, which is a court order requiring a company to change how it does business. 

The trial is being handled in two parts. In the first part, the jury decides whether Meta violated Tennessee law. If the jury finds that the company did break the law, the judge then decides on penalties and whether Meta should be required to make changes to Instagram. 

Other Lawsuits Against Meta Over Facebook and Instagram

The Tennessee Instagram lawsuit is one piece of a much larger fight. Forty-two states have sued Meta over the harm its platforms allegedly cause to children and teenagers. Some of those social media lawsuits have already gone to trial, and juries have sided with the states.  

Families are filing their own social media addiction lawsuits as well. The first individual case to reach a jury involved a young woman who said she developed depression and anxiety after compulsive social media use as a minor. The jury found against Meta and decided that punitive damages were warranted, meaning the company would owe more than the amount awarded for her losses. Two other platforms named in that case settled with her before the trial started. Verdicts like that one give families a clearer picture of what a claim may be worth. 

Thousands of similar claims are still pending. The federal lawsuits have been combined into a single multidistrict litigation, In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047, in the Northern District of California. Nearly 2,900 cases were pending there as of mid-2026, making it one of the fastest growing litigations in the federal system. The first of those cases set for trial, filed by a Kentucky school district over the cost of a student mental health crisis, settled in May 2026 for a reported $27 million. 

Three groups are now suing Meta over Instagram and Facebook: state attorneys general seeking penalties and product changes, school districts seeking the cost of treating student mental health problems, and parents and young adults seeking compensation for their own injuries. The third group is where most families fit. Those claims are still being accepted, and new lawsuits are filed every month as more parents connect a child’s diagnosis to years of compulsive use. 

Who May Qualify to File a Social Media Lawsuit

The Tennessee case was filed on behalf of the public. Any penalties go to the state, not to parents. If your child was harmed, that case will not compensate you. 

Families recover through separate personal injury lawsuits, and those claims have their own filing deadlines. What the state cases do provide is evidence. Internal company records introduced at trial, along with jury findings about what Meta knew and when, can be used by families in their own cases. 

A young person and their family may be eligible to file a lawsuit if they meet the following case criteria: 

1. The user began using Instagram, Facebook, or another social media platform before the age of 18. 
2. Use was heavy or compulsive over a sustained period, often several hours a day for months or years. 
3. The user was diagnosed with or treated for a serious mental health condition, such as major depression, an anxiety disorder, an eating disorder, or injuries from self-harm. 
4. Medical, counseling, or school records document the condition and roughly when it began. 
5. In cases where a young person has died, an immediate family member may be able to bring a wrongful death claim. 

Similar claims are being filed over other online platforms as well, including Roblox lawsuits brought by parents of children harmed while using the game. 

Contact a Lawyer to Find Out If You Qualify

If you or a loved one suffered serious mental health harm as a minor after compulsive use of Instagram, Facebook, or another social media platform, you may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation. 

The attorneys at Hissey, Mulderig & Friend are currently reviewing social media claims on behalf of families nationwide. There is no cost to speak with a lawyer and find out if you qualify, and you will only pay legal fees if we recover compensation in your case. Filing deadlines apply and vary from state to state, so it is best not to wait. 

Talk with a lawyer about your claim or start the process of filing a lawsuit today by contacting Hissey Mulderig & Friend toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or by sending us a message using the free contact form located at the top of this page.