Families across the country are filing claims against the companies behind Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, alleging that beauty filters, appearance-focused feeds and constant comparison led young people to develop body dysmorphia. If your child was diagnosed with body dysmorphia after years of heavy social media use, your family may be able to seek compensation.
What Body Dysmorphia Is
Body dysmorphic disorder, usually called body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition in which a person becomes fixated on flaws in their appearance that other people either cannot see or barely notice. It is more than ordinary insecurity. The worry can take up hours of the day and get in the way of school, friendships and family life. Psychiatrists group it with obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions.
Signs parents often notice include:
- Checking mirrors, reflections or the phone camera over and over, or avoiding them completely
- Taking selfies again and again, or heavily editing photos before anyone can see them
- Constantly comparing their face or body with people online
- Hiding a feature with makeup, hair, hats or clothing
- Skin picking or very long grooming routines
- Asking over and over whether they look okay
- Skipping school, events or photos because of how they look
- Asking about cosmetic procedures or surgery
Body dysmorphia usually begins in the teen years. Studies estimate that about 2 percent of teens and adults have it, and in one study of people with the condition, about two-thirds said it started before age 18. It is also linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.
How the Lawsuits Connect Social Media and Body Dysmorphia
The lawsuits say the companies built their apps to hold the attention of children and teens, and that the same features that kept kids on the apps put their appearance at the center of their lives. The features at the center of the body dysmorphia claims include:
- Beauty filters that smooth skin, slim noses and reshape faces, so a young person sees a version of themselves that no mirror can match.
- Recommendation algorithms that allegedly learn what a teen lingers on and serve more appearance and body content.
- Likes, comments and follower counts that the lawsuits say turn every photo into a public score.
- Endless feeds of edited images that, the lawsuits say, set a standard of looks no one meets in real life.
- Weak age checks and parental controls that the lawsuits say let young children onto the apps and made it hard for parents to step in.
Doctors raised the same concern years ago. In 2018, physicians at Boston Medical Center wrote in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery that filtered photos were changing how people see beauty and could trigger body dysmorphic disorder. They described a trend some doctors had begun calling “Snapchat dysmorphia,” in which patients asked for surgery to look like their filtered selfies.
What the Companies Knew
Much of the evidence comes from the companies’ own files. In 2021, documents disclosed by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen and reported by The Wall Street Journal included a 2019 Instagram slide stating that the app makes body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.
The lawsuit filed by more than 30 state attorneys general in 2023 alleges that Meta staff proposed in 2020 to ban camera filters that mimic plastic surgery, after outside experts warned about the effects on body dysmorphia and eating disorders, and that Mark Zuckerberg vetoed the proposal. At the first trial in February 2026, Zuckerberg testified that Meta briefly disabled the filters but decided that removing them completely would have been paternalistic. He testified that Meta’s policy became to allow beauty filters while not creating or recommending them itself.
TikTok faces similar claims. Internal documents cited in Kentucky’s lawsuit, which became public through a redaction error in 2024, showed TikTok staff discussing the effects of its beauty filters and suggesting the filters be labeled, which never happened.
For more on Meta’s records, see Meta internal documents.
The First Trial Involved Body Dysmorphia
The first social media addiction case to reach a jury was brought by a young woman identified as K.G.M., who started using Instagram at age 9. She claimed Instagram and YouTube caused her anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia, and that Instagram’s beauty filters contributed to her body dysmorphia. In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and awarded her $6 million, including $3 million in punitive damages. Both Meta and YouTube have appealed, so the verdict is not final.
Thousands of other cases are pending in the federal proceeding in Oakland and the coordinated cases in Los Angeles. No global settlement for families has been announced, and new claims are still being filed. See Meta trials for the full calendar and settlements and verdicts for the results so far.
Body Dysmorphia Often Comes With Other Injuries
Many young people with body dysmorphia also develop an eating disorder, depression or anxiety, or begin to harm themselves. Those injuries can be part of the same claim.
Who May Have a Claim
Two things matter most: the young person started using Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat or YouTube heavily before age 18 and is now 25 or younger, and a doctor, therapist or counselor diagnosed or treated body dysmorphia or a related mental health problem. You do not need to meet every detail to reach out. See who may qualify.
Families who lost a child may also have a claim. You do not need to have every record in hand to start.
Compensation
A claim can seek compensation for medical, counseling and treatment costs, past and future, along with pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Every claim is different, and the value depends on the diagnosis, the treatment and how the condition has affected your child’s life.
Getting Started
Doyle APC handles social media addiction claims together with experienced co-counsel, for families nationwide. The case review is free, and you pay nothing unless there is a recovery.
If you or your child is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Common Questions
Can I file a claim for my child’s body dysmorphia?
Body dysmorphia is one of the injuries families are claiming against Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube. Whether your child has a claim depends on when the heavy use started, the diagnosis and the treatment. The free case review is the way to find out.
How is body dysmorphia different from normal insecurity?
Most teens worry about how they look. Body dysmorphia is a diagnosed condition in which the worry takes over: hours spent checking, hiding or fixing a perceived flaw, and real harm to school, friendships or daily life. The claims involve young people whose condition was serious enough to be diagnosed or treated.
My child was never formally diagnosed with body dysmorphia. Can they still qualify?
Possibly. If a doctor, therapist or counselor treated your child for appearance-related distress, an eating disorder, depression, anxiety or self-harm, your child may still qualify. The case review is the way to find out.
Do the medical records have to mention social media or filters?
Not necessarily. Many treatment records focus on the condition itself. Screen time, app history and the timing of the illness also help show the connection.
Is there a class action for social media body dysmorphia?
No. Each family files its own claim. The claims are grouped in federal court in Oakland and in California state court in Los Angeles so they can share evidence and test trials, but each claim is valued on its own facts. See is there a social media class action.
My child is now an adult. Is it too late?
Not always. Many people bringing these claims are now in their late teens or early twenties, because the harm began when they were younger. Deadlines vary by state and often depend on age and when the condition was diagnosed, so it is worth asking soon.
Did Meta’s settlement with the states pay families?
No. Meta’s August 2026 settlement with state attorneys general pays the states and changes how teens use its apps. It does not compensate any family. Families must file their own claims.
What does it cost?
Nothing up front. You pay nothing unless there is a recovery.