Families of four teenagers who died by suicide have filed a lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, alleging the social media companies caused years of harm that culminated in the deaths of their children. The complaint, filed Thursday in Delaware’s Superior Court, represents the latest in an escalating wave of legal action targeting major tech platforms over their effects on young users.
The four teens—Livi Castro, age 13; Riv Kelleher, age 14; Nathaniel Chambers, age 17; and Dawson Holden, age 18—died by suicide over a 14-month period beginning in July 2024 through September 2025. The families, from Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Tennessee, allege in the complaint that their children experienced social media addiction, severe sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation after years of using the defendants’ platforms. The suit contends that the social media companies knew they were causing harm to young users yet continued their practices.
The Social Media Victims Law Center is bringing the suit on behalf of the families. Matthew Bergman, the center’s founding attorney, emphasized the significance of these deaths occurring long after similar cases had been filed. “These platforms continue to kill kids, despite the platitudes of their executives,” Bergman said in an interview. He noted it was “particularly salient” that the children in this case died after prior lawsuits had already put the companies on notice about the dangers of their platforms.
The lawsuit joins a mounting legal pressure campaign against major social media companies. Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap are currently facing numerous state and federal lawsuits alleging harms to minors. The timing of this Delaware filing coincides with intensifying legal battles in multiple jurisdictions, highlighting the breadth of litigation challenging the platforms’ safety practices.
Currently, Meta is on trial in Tennessee over allegations that the company deliberately designed Instagram to be addictive to young people without adequately warning users of the dangers. Tennessee’s attorney general is calling Instagram an “addiction machine” and arguing it has fueled a youth mental health crisis. That trial, which began Monday in Nashville, is expected to run approximately seven weeks. Additionally, Meta faces trial in federal court in Oakland, California in August, where four states are pursuing claims that the company is contributing to the youth mental health crisis by designing addictive features and violated federal law by collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
The mounting legal costs are beginning to impact even the largest tech companies. Meta reported $2.4 billion in legal expenses in the second quarter of this year, contributing to a 14 percent decline in profit—an unusual development for the social media giant. Despite these costs, Meta continues to defend itself vigorously. A Florida teenager dropped his case against Meta that was set to go to trial in state court in Los Angeles last week without receiving any payment from the company, with Meta arguing the teen used Instagram and Facebook for only minutes a day on average.
Federal legislation addressing children’s online safety has moved slowly despite mounting pressure. The Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act two years before this lawsuit was filed, with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation received 91 votes in favor with only 3 opposed. However, the House of Representatives never voted on that version of the legislation, and the House and Senate are currently disagreeing on key provisions they believe should be included in any final measure.
Sacha Haworth, executive director of The Tech Oversight Project, highlighted the frustration of advocates and parents. “While Congress has dragged its feet, more children have died,” Haworth said in a statement. Haworth continued: “Livi, Nathaniel, Dawson, and Riv’s stories are proof that Big Tech companies continue to lie about the safety of their products, choosing instead to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into false advertising, deceptive paid partnerships with trusted education programs and political lobbying.”
Representatives for Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Delaware lawsuit. The companies have broadly denied similar allegations in previous litigation, arguing they have implemented safety features and that they should not be held liable for content posted by their users.
The lawsuit represents another chapter in what advocates describe as a pattern of corporate negligence. The complaint alleges the platforms employ algorithms designed to maximize user engagement, particularly among younger users, knowing such engagement increases the risk of mental health harm. Parents and advocacy groups have been meeting with lawmakers for years, pushing for stronger regulations and corporate accountability, but legislative progress has lagged behind the growing body of evidence of harm.