Tennessee social media addiction lawsuit
Families in Tennessee are holding Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube responsible for harm to their children, one case at a time. Here is who may qualify, how Tennessee cases are filed, and the deadline that applies.
Quick answer
Tennessee families can bring individual claims, not a class action, against Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google (YouTube) when a child was harmed after heavy use before 18. In Tennessee, an injury claim generally must be filed within one year; if the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the clock is paused until they turn 18, then the normal deadline (usually 1 year) runs. The extra time can never be more than 3 years after they turn 18, and it does not pause the product-liability outer limits. A free review checks your family’s deadline.
Who may qualify in Tennessee
- The child lives or lived in Tennessee and used Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat or YouTube regularly before 18
- The child developed depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, self-harm, sleep problems or another serious harm
- No diagnosis? 20 or more hours a week on one platform before 18 may support an exposure claim
- Families of a young person who died by suicide after heavy social media use
- An adult contacted the child through a platform and pressured, threatened or exploited them
Tennessee filing deadlines
| Personal injury / product liability | one year | A personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within 1 year. In product cases, the clock starts on the date of injury, not the date the product was sold. It can extend to 2 years if criminal charges are brought against the person who caused the injury. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1), (a)(2), (b) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injured as a minor | — | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the clock is paused until they turn 18, then the normal deadline (usually 1 year) runs. The extra time can never be more than 3 years after they turn 18, and it does not pause the product-liability outer limits. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-106 |
| Wrongful death | one year | A wrongful death lawsuit generally must be filed within 1 year, using the same personal injury deadline. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1) |
| Product liability outer limit (repose) | — | Product claims must be filed within 6 years of the injury, and in any event within 10 years of when the product was first bought for use (or within 1 year after the product's expected life ends, whichever is shorter). For injured minors, the claim must be filed within 1 year after they turn 18, if that is sooner. Asbestos and silicone breast implant claims have different rules. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-28-103 |
Read on Justia (2025 Tennessee Code), not the official LexisNexis-hosted code. Tennessee applies the 1-year injury-to-person period to wrongful death through case law and the death statutes (Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-5-113 et seq.). No separate wrongful death limitations statute was read, so wdCite is the general provision. The minor clause in § 29-28-103(a) ('except in the case of injury to minors whose action must be brought within a period of one (1) year after attaining the age of majority, whichever occurs sooner') is awkwardly worded. Courts read it as letting a minor's claim survive the 10-year repose until 1 year after majority. Confirm with counsel before stating it more strongly. § 28-1-106(c)(4) says nothing in subsection (c) tolls any statute of repose.
These are the general rules in the statutes. Courts apply exceptions, and which rule applies depends on the facts, so a lawyer should confirm your family’s deadline. This is general information, not legal advice.
How Tennessee cases are filed
This is not a class action. A Tennessee family’s claim is filed in the child’s name. Federal cases from every state are grouped in MDL No. 3047 in Northern California so evidence and pre-trial rulings are shared; about 3,800 were pending in October 2026. Some cases are filed in state court instead. The lawyers decide with your family where your case belongs.
Tennessee's own lawsuit against Meta is being heard in the Chancery Court for Davidson County in Nashville, not in the national federal case.
What Tennessee has done
Tennessee's attorney general filed his own lawsuit against Meta in state court, the Chancery Court for Davidson County in Nashville, on October 24, 2023, separate from the joint federal case.
Lawsuits and laws by the state are separate from a family’s own claim. They do not file or replace a claim for your child.
Who handles your case
Grove and Associates PLC is a Michigan law firm with its only office in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Its responsible attorney, Justin Grove, is licensed in Michigan only and is not licensed in Tennessee. Cases for Tennessee families are handled together with co-counsel admitted in the court where the case is filed. You will know every lawyer involved, and how the fee is shared, before you sign anything.
Common questions from Tennessee families
Is there a class action for Tennessee families?
No. Each child’s claim is filed individually. Federal cases from every state, including Tennessee, are grouped in MDL No. 3047 in Northern California so evidence and pre-trial rulings are shared, but each claim stays the family’s own.
What is the deadline to file in Tennessee?
A personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within 1 year. In product cases, the clock starts on the date of injury, not the date the product was sold. It can extend to 2 years if criminal charges are brought against the person who caused the injury. If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the clock is paused until they turn 18, then the normal deadline (usually 1 year) runs. The extra time can never be more than 3 years after they turn 18, and it does not pause the product-liability outer limits.
What if my child died?
A wrongful death lawsuit generally must be filed within 1 year, using the same personal injury deadline.
Didn’t Tennessee already sue Meta?
Tennessee's attorney general filed his own lawsuit against Meta in state court, the Chancery Court for Davidson County in Nashville, on October 24, 2023, separate from the joint federal case. That case is brought by the state. It is separate from a family’s own claim for its child.
Do I need a Tennessee lawyer?
Your family works with Grove and Associates PLC, a Michigan firm, and co-counsel admitted in the court where your case is filed. You will know every lawyer involved, and how the fee is shared, before you sign anything.
Does it cost anything?
No. The review is free and confidential. If you hire the firm, the lawyers are paid only from a recovery under a written contingency fee agreement.