Families of Four Teens Sue Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube Over Social Media-Related Deaths

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Delaware court names Meta Platforms, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube as defendants in a case brought by families of four teenagers who died by suicide. The Social Media Victims Law Center represents the families on behalf of children from Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota and Tennessee who died between July 2024 and September 2025. The complaint alleges the platforms engaged in a pattern of causing severe harm through addictive design and features.

The four deceased teens—Livi Castro, 13; Riv Kelleher, 14; Nathaniel Chambers, 17; and Dawson Holden, 18—each struggled with social media addiction, sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety before their deaths, according to court documents. The suit contends that executives at these companies were aware their platforms posed dangers to young users yet continued operating them without adequate safeguards. Spokespeople for the four companies did not immediately comment on the filing.

Matthew Bergman, founding attorney for the Social Media Victims Law Center, stated in an interview that the deaths underscore an ongoing crisis. “These platforms continue to kill kids, despite the platitudes of their executives,” Bergman said, calling the situation “a clear and present danger” not only domestically but internationally.

The lawsuit represents the latest escalation in litigation against social media giants over child safety. Meta faces a state trial in Tennessee this week over allegations it deliberately designed Instagram to addict young users, while a federal trial in Oakland, California involving four states is scheduled for August. That case also alleges Meta violated federal law by collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.

Federal legislative efforts to address social media harms have progressed slowly. The Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act two years before this lawsuit was filed, but the House never voted on it. The two chambers remain deadlocked over key provisions, even as advocates argue that delay has cost lives.

Not all litigation against these companies results in plaintiff victories. Last week, a Florida teenager withdrew a case against Meta that had been scheduled for trial in Los Angeles state court without obtaining a settlement. Meta had argued the teenager used Instagram and Facebook only minutes daily on average and created most accounts only after retaining legal counsel.

Mounting litigation has nonetheless become costly for Meta. The company reported $2.4 billion in legal expenses during the second quarter alone, contributing to a 14 percent decline in profits earlier this week.