Meta is removing ads from its social media platforms, specifically those posted by attorneys looking to recruit new clients for future social media addiction lawsuits.
Late last month, Meta was handed back-to-back defeats in two landmark social media trials, a New Mexico case accusing Meta of endangering children by enabling sexual predators on Instagram and a Los Angeles-based social media addiction case.
In the latter, representatives for a now 20-year-old client accused Meta of making deliberate design choices, such as infinite scrolling and face-altering filters, that led to her becoming addicted to Instagram from an early age and exacerbated deep mental health issues, including thoughts of self-harm and depression. There have been numerous studies and expert reports over the years providing evidence that social media algorithms and addictive design features have indeed resulted in negative mental health outcomes in the younger generation.
The lawsuit was a “bellwether” case, meaning the plaintiff was representative of a large pool of lawsuits against Meta and other social media platforms, and the trial served as a test case for future lawsuits. Until the verdicts last month, Meta was assumed to be protected via Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which relieves platform operators from liability for content posted by third parties. The verdict set a precedent that social media operators can be held liable for adverse mental health effects, claiming that the problems are not solely the product of harmful third-party content but also due to deliberately addictive design features. Meta told Gizmodo at the time that they disagreed with the verdict and would appeal.
The lawsuit is likely to be a watershed moment for social media addiction litigation, and Meta is at the bullseye as the operator of the top two most popular social media apps, Facebook and Instagram.
The movement is already underway, it seems. According to Axios, attorneys from large national firms like Morgan & Morgan have begun putting up ads on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Messenger, looking to take on clients in fresh addiction cases.
One of the ads read, per Axios: “Anxiety. Depression, Withdrawal. Self-harm. These aren’t just teenage phases — they’re symptoms linked to social media addiction in children. Platforms knew this and kept targeting kids anyway.”
Some of the ads are apparently still active, but Meta has taken down a good chunk of them, possibly due to this clause in the tech giant’s advertising standards: “We reserve the right to reject, approve or remove any ad for any reason, in our sole discretion, including ads that negatively affect our relationship with our users or that promote content, services, or activities, contrary to our competitive position, interests, or advertising philosophy.”
The social media giant didn’t immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told Axios:
We’re actively defending ourselves against these lawsuits and are removing ads that attempt to recruit plaintiffs for them. We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful.
While Meta is fighting against these ads, it is simultaneously bracing for impact. The tech giant already conceded in its last earnings report in January that it is gearing up for material loss this year due to “scrutiny on youth-related issues.”
Meta’s youth-related headwinds have gone beyond litigation. The company was in a dispute with the Motion Picture Association over advertising its new Teen Accounts using the MPA’s PG-13 movie ratings, a battle that it quietly conceded to the MPA last week.
Meta has also been having trouble with shifting social media regulations worldwide. Countries around the world are increasingly getting behind social media bans for minors in light of the landmark Australian ban that went into effect in December 2025. Greece and Indonesia were the latest to join that list over the last two weeks.
