NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County has filed a lawsuit against the world's largest social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap, citing their destructive impacts on the health of children.
The lawsuit comes just days after the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office filed a suit against TikTok, saying it doesn't protect children from the harms of its product.
"Parents send their children to school and out into the world hoping they will learn, grow, and thrive," Montgomery County Commissioner Jamila H. Winder said in a statement. "But too many young people are struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and other serious mental health challenges. We believe social media companies must be held accountable for the role their products play in harming young people."
The suit makes Montgomery County, with its 148 public school districts, the largest jurisdiction in the state pursuing litigation against social media companies.
Specifically, the county pointed to social media use causing spikes in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep disorders, and self-harm in school-aged children.
"Three or more hours of social media usage approximately doubles the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms among youth," according to the 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), cited by the county.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Similar suits have demanded compensation for damages to victims, community programs to address issues, and sweeping changes to platform designs.
The state lawsuit alleges TikTok profits from the more time users spend on its platforms scrolling and generating ad revenue for the company. The complaint alleges that TikTok is aware of the addictiveness and barriers that can be implemented to protect kids, but ignores them.
Data from the Pew Research Center shows TikTok has nearly 100 million daily users in the United States. More than two-thirds of teens ages 13-17 use the app, and more than 1 in 5 teens report being on it almost constantly, according to Pew.
"TikTok has built its empire based on a model of addictiveness at all costs, and expanded that empire using deception about what sort of content is viewable for kids," Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement.
Montgomery County is home to more than 181,000 children.
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