Marsh Law represents children, teens, and families affected by social media addiction, online exploitation, grooming, sextortion, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Roblox-related harms, and other dangerous platform features.
Families harmed by these platforms may have legal rights and may be eligible to participate in ongoing litigation. Learn whether your family qualifies for a free confidential case review.
If your child has suffered emotional distress, compulsive platform use, exploitation, educational disruption, mental health injuries, or other significant harms connected to online platforms, you may qualify to participate in ongoing litigation.
Could Your Family Be Eligible?
Families affected by social media addiction, online exploitation, grooming, sextortion, Roblox-related harms, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and other platform-related injuries may have legal rights. Review the eligibility questions below to learn whether your family may qualify to participate in ongoing litigation.
Find Out If Your Family Qualifies
United States, Canadian, and Mexican residents may be eligible.
- Have you or your child been a victim of online sexual abuse or exploitation?
- Have predators recruited, groomed, or manipulated you or your child through social media, gaming, or online platforms?
- Have you or your child been harmed through interactions on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, or Roblox?
- Have you or your child been exposed to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), online sexual exploitation, or harmful content online?
- Has your child’s child sexual abuse material (CSAM) been shared, distributed, or posted online?
- Are you or your child a victim of sextortion, online coercion, or digital blackmail?
- Have you or your child experienced exploitation, harassment, inappropriate contact, grooming, or abuse facilitated through social media platforms, gaming platforms, or virtual worlds?
- Do you or your child exhibit signs or symptoms of social media addiction, gaming addiction, problematic platform use, compulsive online behavior, or other maladaptive behaviors associated with digital platforms?
- Have addictive platform features contributed to depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, sleep disruption, social withdrawal, or other mental health injuries?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you or your child may be eligible to participate in ongoing litigation involving social media platforms, gaming platforms, and other digital products that allegedly harm children and adolescents.
Comparison Table of Teen Addictions
Researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, parents, and policymakers have increasingly examined social media and online platform use through the lens of addiction science. While social media use is not identical to alcohol, nicotine, or gambling, concerns have emerged regarding compulsive use patterns, behavioral reinforcement mechanisms, excessive engagement, and potential impacts on adolescent mental health and development.
| Factor | Alcohol | Tobacco / Nicotine | Gambling | Social Media & Online Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designed to Encourage Repeat Use | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Youth Exposure Before Adulthood | Common | Common | Common | Nearly Universal |
| Habit Forming or Potentially Addictive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Activates Brain Reward Systems | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Peer Pressure & Social Reinforcement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sleep Disruption | Possible | Possible | Possible | Frequently Reported |
| Anxiety & Depression Concerns | Possible | Possible | Possible | Frequently Reported |
| Interference with School Performance | Possible | Possible | Possible | Frequently Reported |
| Compulsive Use Behaviors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subject of Public Health Concern | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Increasingly |
| Product Liability Litigation History | Extensive | Extensive | Significant | Emerging |
| Primary Users Include Children & Teens | No | No | No | Yes |
This comparison is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Social media addiction and problematic platform use remain active areas of scientific, medical, and public policy discussion. Individual experiences vary, and the presence of any listed characteristic does not establish liability or causation in any particular case.
Social media and online platforms share several characteristics commonly discussed in addiction and public health research.
Social Media & Online Platforms
- ✓ Designed to encourage repeat use
- ✓ Nearly universal exposure among children and teens
- ✓ Potentially habit-forming or addictive
- ✓ Activates brain reward systems
- ✓ Reinforced by peer and social pressures
- ✓ Frequently associated with sleep disruption
- ✓ Frequently associated with anxiety and depression concerns
- ✓ Frequently associated with educational disruption
- ✓ Subject to increasing public health scrutiny
- ✓ Emerging area of litigation
Understanding the Harms Associated with Social Media and Online Platforms
Social media platforms, gaming platforms, and other digital products have become a central part of childhood and adolescence. Families, researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers have raised concerns about a range of harms allegedly associated with the design, operation, and promotion of these platforms.
Social Media Addiction
Some families report that excessive social media use has contributed to compulsive engagement, disrupted sleep, educational difficulties, social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and other behavioral health concerns.
Online Exploitation & Grooming
Predators may use social media, messaging systems, gaming platforms, and virtual communities to contact, manipulate, groom, or exploit children and adolescents.
Sextortion & Digital Blackmail
Children and teens may be targeted through coercion, threats, extortion schemes, or non-consensual sharing of intimate images, causing significant emotional and financial harm.
Roblox & Gaming Platform Harms
Concerns involving gaming platforms may include inappropriate interactions, grooming, unsafe communications, exploitative monetization practices, and other risks associated with online participation.
Questions About Your Child’s Experience Online?
If you believe your child has been harmed by social media, gaming platforms, online exploitation, grooming, sextortion, or other dangerous platform features, contact Marsh Law for a free confidential case review.