Los Angeles Unified joins lawsuit against social media companies

The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Thursday that it has joined hundreds of school districts across the country in a landmark lawsuit against social media companies, alleging platforms have fueled the youth mental health crisis and disrupted education for students in the district.

“Los Angeles Unified educators, counselors, and administrators are confronting unprecedented levels of student anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, disordered eating, cyberbullying, sextortion, and excessive exposure to extreme and exploitative content, much of which is amplified and monetized by social media design features,” the announcement said.

The lawsuit, which targets Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, X and other platforms, aligns with broader efforts in California to address a youth mental health emergency “tied to defendants’ social media features, misrepresentations about the safety, and failures to warn about the dangers of their platforms for youth,” according to the announcement. The lawsuit also pointed to a sharp rise in reported sexual exploitation and mental health referrals for students experiencing eating disorders.

A 2025 report from the Los Angeles County Youth Commission revealed that mental health has become the leading concern for young people in Los Angeles, surpassing education and employment, with nearly two-thirds of surveyed youth identifying it as their top need.