Meta pulls Facebook ads recruiting for social media addiction lawsuits
Meta removes Facebook ads for social media addiction lawsuits
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has eliminated advertisements from law firms on its platforms aimed at recruiting individuals for upcoming lawsuits tied to social media addiction. This decision comes after Meta faced setbacks in two significant legal cases, including a pivotal trial in California where a young woman successfully sued the company and YouTube for her childhood dependency on social media.
Meta’s legal challenges
American news outlet Axios reported that firms like Morgan & Morgan and Sokolove Law had dozens of their ads targeting social media addiction clients deactivated. These ads appeared on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, with some also running on Meta’s Audience Network—a tool that extends its ad platform to third-party apps. Despite the removals, several ads remain active in Meta’s Ad Library as of Friday.
“We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful,” stated Meta in its official communication.
Lawyers’ response to Meta’s move
Emily Jeffcott, representing Morgan & Morgan, criticized the action as “another example of Meta trying to control the narrative and avoid accountability.” She argued that the company’s efforts to block ads could be better directed toward enhancing user safety through tools that reduce excessive usage and identify underage users. “Blocking the ads doesn’t make the harms go away. It just makes it harder on victims,” she added.
Meta’s advertising policies grant it the authority to remove ads that “negatively affect our relationship with our users or promote content, services, or activities contrary to our competitive position, interests, or advertising philosophy.” The recent U.S. lawsuits have highlighted the growing likelihood of similar cases in the country’s courts. In March 2026, a New Mexico court mandated Meta to pay $375m for misleading users about the safety of its platforms for children. A jury found the company responsible for exposing children to sexually explicit material and contact with predators.
Meanwhile, in California’s social media addiction case, a woman received $6m in damages. The verdict held Meta accountable for 70% of the compensation, with Google covering the remaining 30%. Snap and TikTok were also initially named in the lawsuit but reached settlements before the trial concluded. Meta has announced plans to appeal both rulings, expressing disagreement with the outcomes.
Additional reporting by Osmond Chia. Sign up for the Tech Decoded newsletter to stay updated on global tech stories and trends. For international readers, subscribe here.
