Families sue Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube over deaths of 4 teens – CBS News

Updated on: July 31, 2026 / 12:41 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The families of four teenagers who died by suicide are suing Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, alleging that using the social media platforms led to severe mental health and physical issues that resulted in their deaths. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Superior Court of Delaware, claims that the teens suffered years of harm from using the platforms, including social media addiction, severe sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. The Social Media Victims Law Center, a legal advocacy firm, filed the complaint on behalf of the four families, who are from Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The children, who died between July 2024 and September 2025, were ages 13, 14, 17 and 18 at the time of their deaths, according to the firm. “Despite living hundreds of miles apart, their parents describe nearly identical patterns: once‑vibrant children who became anxious, withdrawn or depressed as their use of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube intensified,” the Social Media Victims Law Center said in a statement shared with CBS News. Social media companies’ “actions have eroded public trust, misled policymakers, and created a
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