US lawsuits target major social media platforms over child safety and deceptive ads

Four high‑profile lawsuits in the United States are poised to reshape the social‑media landscape. Plaintiffs allege that platforms such as Meta, Google (YouTube), Snap, TikTok, Roblox and Discord have designed their services to be addictive, violated children’s privacy under COPPA, and hosted deceptive advertisements that harmed users. A multi‑district school case in California claims Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok intentionally harm minors, while a separate action by 29 states accuses Meta of breaching child‑privacy law. Additionally, a billionaire is preparing a suit against Meta for fraudulent ads, and a 13‑year‑old has sued Roblox and Discord over alleged sexual‑predator exposure.

In a related development, a 15‑year‑old from Florida settled his claims against YouTube out of court, avoiding a jury trial scheduled for July. The same trial will hear accusations against Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, which have refused settlement. These cases collectively could force changes to platform design, moderation practices, data‑collection policies and advertising verification, affecting billions of users and investors.