Meta removes plaintiff ads as legal pressure mounts

Meta is removing advertisements on Facebook and Instagram that seek to recruit plaintiffs for lawsuits accusing social media platforms of fostering addiction among young users.

The move comes as the company faces mounting legal pressure, with thousands of cases filed across California courts against Meta and other tech firms including Google, Snap and ByteDance.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company is actively defending itself and will not allow lawyers to use its platforms to recruit clients while alleging those same platforms are harmful. 

“We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful,” he said.

The decision follows two significant legal setbacks. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s depression linked to excessive use of Instagram and YouTube, awarding $6 million in damages.

In a separate case in New Mexico, Meta was ordered to pay $375 million after jurors concluded it misled users about platform safety and failed to protect minors.

More than 5,000 lawsuits are currently pending in state and federal courts, with claims ranging from mental health harm to the financial burden placed on schools and local governments.

While the companies deny the allegations and say they prioritise user safety, the surge in litigation marks a growing challenge for the social media industry.