Meta Platforms announced on Thursday that it is removing advertisements from Facebook and Instagram intended to recruit plaintiffs for ongoing litigation against the company. The legal actions accuse Meta and other technology giants of deliberately designing social media platforms to be addictive to adolescent users.

The decision comes as Meta faces thousands of lawsuits in both state and federal courts. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed the move, stating that the company will not allow trial lawyers to profit from its platforms while simultaneously claiming those platforms are harmful. 'Can’t Trust WhatsApp': Elon Musk Slams Meta as Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges Secret Interception of Private Messages by Accenture and Third Parties.

Recent Legal Setbacks and Jury Verdicts

The removal of the advertisements follows two significant legal losses for Meta in March 2026. In Los Angeles, a jury found Meta and Alphabet’s Google liable for the depression and suicidal ideation of a young woman who claimed addiction to Instagram and YouTube. The companies were ordered to pay a combined USD 6 million in damages.

In a separate New Mexico case concluded just a day earlier, a jury ordered Meta to pay USD 375 million. The jurors found that the company had misled users regarding product safety and failed to prevent the sexual exploitation of children on its platforms. Meta has denied all allegations, maintaining that it implements extensive measures to protect young users.

The Scale of Pending Litigation

The legal challenge facing the social media industry is vast, with approximately 3,300 addiction-related lawsuits pending in California state court. These cases involve Meta, Google, Snap Inc, and TikTok parent ByteDance. Additionally, 2,400 lawsuits filed by individuals, school districts, and municipalities have been centralised in California federal court.

While state cases primarily involve individual claims of mental health harm, federal litigation includes broader suits from public entities. These organisations claim that social media addiction among youth has forced governments and school districts to increase spending on mental health services to address the resulting fallout.

Plaintiff Recruitment and Advertising Trends

Law firms involved in mass tort litigation frequently use advertisements on television, radio, and social media to find potential clients. Because these firms typically operate on a contingency basis, earning fees only if they win or settle, gathering a large volume of plaintiffs is often necessary to make the litigation financially viable. Meta Layoffs: Tech Giant Lays Off Hundreds in Silicon Valley As AI Push Raises Fears of 20% Workforce Reduction.

According to X Ante, a firm that tracks mass tort advertising, television ads promoting social media claims reached 671 in March, the highest monthly total since July 2024. Radio advertisements also saw a significant surge, tripling to 20,000 following the recent verdicts. While Meta has moved to block these ads, Google has not yet confirmed whether it will take similar action regarding ads appearing on its own platforms.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2026 07:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).