School districts and state governments from at least four states have filed lawsuits against major social media companies, including TikTok, Alphabet Inc., Meta, and Snap Inc. The plaintiffs argue that the companies' social media platforms harm children's mental health via addictive algorithms and harmful content. Seattle public schools were the first to bring suit in January 2023, followed by the state of Arkansas in March 2023, a California school district in May 2023, multiple Maryland school districts in June 2023 and several Colorado school districts and the state of Utah in October 2023.

Many of the cases have been consolidated into a single lawsuit before a California judge to manage early legal proceedings. If settlement agreements are not reached at this stage, the cases will be sent back down to the local federal district court of each plaintiff.

In late October 2023, 41 states filed a lawsuit against Meta in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. They allege the tech company's social media algorithms are intentionally addictive and harm children's mental health.

A judge dismissed a request made by social media companies to dismiss the lawsuits in November 2023. The judge found the companies did owe their users a duty of care, although this duty did not extend to protecting from third-party harm on the platforms.

In May 2023, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory warning positing that social media poses “a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children” and that there is insufficient evidence “to determine if social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.”