Meta Platforms has initiated the removal of advertisements from its social media platforms that were being used by law firms to recruit plaintiffs for lawsuits against the company. The action, which began on Thursday, targets hundreds of ads on Facebook and Instagram placed by trial attorneys and marketing firms seeking to attract new clients for a growing number of legal actions against the social media giant.
The company stated it is actively defending against these lawsuits and will not permit advertisements that solicit plaintiffs for litigation which claims its platforms are harmful. Meta is conducting a comprehensive cleanup of such ads and plans to ban all future advertisements promoting these types of lawsuits.
In major litigation, plaintiff law firms often purchase advertising space on social media, billboards, and television to generate case awareness. Social media platforms play a crucial role in helping attorneys identify qualified plaintiffs for mass tort personal injury cases, given Meta's apps boast over 3.5 billion daily active users.
Last month, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube responsible in a case involving a young woman who claimed social media addiction led to her mental health issues. This case is viewed as a bellwether for similar litigation. Additional trials are scheduled for this year, including one in Oakland federal court this summer involving a school district alleging these platforms harmed its students.
Meta, YouTube, and Snap are facing thousands of lawsuits filed by individuals and school districts. The litigation alleges these companies intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive for young users, leading to mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and body dysmorphic disorder.
Snap and Alphabet, YouTube's parent company, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Plaintiff's trial attorneys also did not respond.
The potential plaintiff pool for these social media cases is broad. Eligible plaintiffs include anyone who used social media before age 18 for at least three hours daily and can demonstrate resulting mental health issues.
Some advertisements use traditional client solicitation methods. Morgan & Morgan, the nation's largest personal injury law firm, ran an ad seeking clients with a brief questionnaire. Another advertisement featured a video of a young woman speaking directly to the camera in influencer confession-style, explaining how people might qualify for compensation.
A different ad showed side-by-side photos: one of a child smiling on a bicycle, another of the same child curled in a dark room staring at a phone. The caption read: "Before social media, she played outside. She laughed. She lived in the moment. After social media, she disappeared into her phone. This isn't growing up—it's what happens when algorithms replace childhood."
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