Meta Stops Running Law Firm Ads Seeking Plaintiffs for Social Media Addiction Cases

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:27:00 +0200

Meta has begun removing advertisements from law firms that were seeking clients to join lawsuits over social media addiction, according to a report from Axios. The decision came shortly after a U.S. jury found both Meta and YouTube negligent in a landmark case involving harm to a young social media user. Axios identified more than a dozen ads that had been deactivated, including those posted by large national firms like Morgan & Morgan and Sokolove Law. These advertisements had appeared across Meta's platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger, as well as through Meta’s Audience Network, which distributes ads to many external websites.

The removed ads warned parents about mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and self-harm linked to children's use of social media. Some of them accused the platforms of knowingly targeting minors despite awareness of potential harm. In response, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the company is actively defending itself against mu