About the Social Media Victims Law Center
Our Mission: Holding Social Media and AI Companies Accountable
The Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC) works to hold social media companies and AI companies legally accountable for the harm they inflict on vulnerable users. SMVLC seeks to apply principles of product liability to force social media companies to elevate consumer safety to the forefront of their economic analysis and design safer platforms that protect users from foreseeable harm.
Many families are left searching for answers after watching their child struggle with addiction, self-harm, dangerous online interactions, or severe mental health changes connected to social media use. Meanwhile, social media companies continue generating billions in profit while facing little accountability for the risks their products create.
While regulation can respond to harm after it occurs, product liability law creates pressure for companies to act before that harm happens. This shift from reactive response to proactive accountability is central to SMVLC’s mission.
“We aim to impose the same economic pressure on social media companies that every other company in America has, which is a duty to design a product that isn’t defective.”
Our Product Liability Approach to Social Media Harm Lawsuits
The Social Media Victims Law Center approaches social media harm cases through product liability law. These social media lawsuits do not focus on user content. Instead, these lawsuits focus on the platform features and algorithmic systems intentionally built to maximize engagement, especially among children and teens.
This legal strategy has already been validated in court. In 2026, a Los Angeles jury returned a verdict finding Meta and YouTube liable for harm caused to young users, awarding damages and reinforcing the theory that Section 230 does not shield companies from claims based on their own product design choices. Like other industries, social media companies must be held responsible when their products create foreseeable risks and they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.
“The jury verdict represents a watershed moment in the effort to hold social media companies accountable for the harm their products inflict on young people. By finding Meta and Google responsible, the jury has affirmed what parents, educators, and mental health professionals have been warning for years: the design of social media platforms poses a clear and present danger to America’s children, and the companies behind them must answer for the consequences.”
SMVLC’s approach builds on the same principles that drove change in the auto and tobacco industries. Automakers were forced to adopt safety features like seatbelts and airbags when litigation made it clear that safer design was not optional. Similarly, lawsuits against Big Tobacco revealed that companies knew about the dangers of their products but continued to prioritize profit over safety. These cases marked turning points, moments when legal accountability reshaped entire industries.
How the Social Media Victims Law Center Was Founded
The Social Media Victims Law Center was founded after the Facebook Files whistleblower revelations made clear that the harm being done to children was not accidental, but the foreseeable result of deliberate corporate decisions. For founding attorney Matthew P. Bergman, the documents revealed a familiar pattern, one he had seen throughout decades of product liability litigation, where companies understood the risks of their products but chose to prioritize profit over safety. Recognizing these parallels, Bergman launched SMVLC in 2021 with a clear mission of holding social media companies accountable using the same legal principles applied in past mass tort cases, positioning the firm at the forefront of litigation aimed at addressing the growing crisis of harm caused by social media and AI platforms.
SMVLC is the only law firm in the country exclusively dedicated to representing children and families harmed by social media and AI platforms, and currently represents nearly 2,000 families nationwide.
Pre-2021
- Matt Bergman has spent 30 years suing asbestos companies using product liability law
- Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies to Congress about platform harms to kids
2021
- Matt Bergman launches SMVLC in November
- Forbes covers the launch
2022
- SMVLC files first lawsuits.
- Sues TikTok over deaths of two children in the “Blackout Challenge”
- Sues Meta and Snap over teen death after exposure to dangerous content
- Files wrongful death suits for three Louisiana teens who died by suicide
- Begins suing Snapchat for connecting minors with fentanyl dealers
2023
- Sues platforms on behalf of Buffalo shooting victims’ families
- Expands Snapchat fentanyl lawsuits to 61 families across 23 states
- SMVLC and clients featured on CBS 60 Minutes
2024
- Files world’s first lawsuit against an AI chatbot company over teen suicide
- Expands AI litigation to cases where chatbots encouraged self-harm
- Appeals court rules TikTok’s algorithm not protected by Section 23
2025
- Bloomberg documentary “Can’t Look Away” features SMVLC’s cases
- Files seven lawsuits against OpenAI over ChatGPT “suicide coach” behavior
- Files suit for four UK families whose children died from the TikTok Blackout Challenge
2026
- AI chatbot company and Google settle teen suicide cases
- Snapchat settles days before landmark addiction trial begins
- TikTok settles on the morning jury selection was set to start
- Bergman testifies before the Senate on Section 230 reform
- Los Angeles jury finds Meta and YouTube liable, awarding $6 million
- Bergman and Laura Marquez-Garrett named to TIME 100 Health list
‘Can’t Look Away’ Documentary: Exposing Social Media Harm And Legal Action
The Social Media Victims Law Center and its work are featured in “Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media” a Bloomberg documentary that examines the growing legal and public health crisis surrounding social media’s impact on young users. The film brings national attention to the real world consequences families are facing, from mental health struggles to devastating loss, while highlighting the broader push for accountability across the tech industry. By documenting these cases as they unfold, the film helps audiences better understand why this litigation matters and what is at stake for future generations. The documentary received the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award for its contribution to public understanding of the youth mental health crisis.
“‘Can’t Look Away’ is a documentary film produced by Bloomberg about the Social Media Victims Law Center and the work that has been done over the last two years to hold social media companies accountable for the harms they are inflicting on young people in the United States. It offers a behind-the-scenes look—the good, the bad, and the ugly—at the ongoing struggle to bring these cases forward. The film shows how setbacks have been handled, how victories have been achieved, and how the effort continues. At its core, it highlights the work being done with parents to try to secure some measure of justice for the harm that social media platforms are causing to their children.”
Matthew P. Bergman,
Founding Attorney
SMVLC’s approach builds on the same principles that drove change in the auto and tobacco industries. Automakers were forced to adopt safety features like seatbelts and airbags when litigation made it clear that safer design was not optional. Similarly, lawsuits against Big Tobacco revealed that companies knew about the dangers of their products but continued to prioritize profit over safety. These cases marked turning points, moments when legal accountability reshaped entire industries.
Meet Our Social Media Harm and Product Liability Attorneys
SMVLC is made up of attorneys with decades of experience in product liability, mass tort, and complex litigation. With more than 100 years of combined experience and over $1 billion recovered from large companies, our attorneys are committed to challenging dangerous social media platform designs and helping families pursue justice.
Matthew P. Bergman
Matthew P. Bergman founded SMVLC after decades of taking on some of the largest corporations in the country through product liability and mass tort litigation. His career has focused on cases where companies knew their products were dangerous and failed to act. He now brings that same relentless approach to social media and AI companies, leading groundbreaking cases that are shaping the future of this area of law. Bergman is widely recognized for his leadership in holding powerful industries accountable and continues to push for systemic change through both the courts and public advocacy.
Founding Attorney
Laura Marquez-Garrett
(they/them)
Laura Marquez-Garrett works directly with families whose lives have been changed by social media-related harm, often in the most devastating circumstances. As both an attorney and a parent, she understands the urgency and emotional weight behind every case she handles. Her work includes cases involving drug sales through social platforms and other high-risk interactions affecting minors. She was recognized as a 2024 Social Media Hero by The Sustainable Media Center, and has become a leading voice in this space, combining legal skill with deeply personal advocacy to help families seek answers, accountability, and change.
Attorney
Glenn S. Draper
Glenn S. Draper focuses on building the legal foundation behind SMVLC’s cases, developing strategies that challenge how social media and AI platforms are designed and operated. With a background in complex litigation, he works to turn difficult, emerging issues into clear and compelling legal claims. He helps families take on some of the largest technology companies in the world by building clear, strategic cases focused on accountability and consumer safety.
Attorney
Our Social Media And AI Lawyers
Our Partners in Holding Social Media Companies Accountable
The Social Media Victims Law Center works alongside organizations and advocates who share a common mission of protecting children and holding social media companies accountable. Through partnerships with groups like the Archewell Foundation and Mothers Against Media Addiction, as well as advocates such as Nicki Reisberg, SMVLC helps amplify the voices of families affected by social media harm while raising awareness about the risks these platforms pose. Together, these collaborations support a growing movement focused on accountability, education, and prevention, ensuring that families have access to both legal advocacy and meaningful mental health resources for parents.
Resources for Parents Concerned About Social Media Harm
The Social Media Victims Law Center provides practical tools and information to help parents better understand the impact of social media and take informed steps to protect their children. These resources are designed to help parents feel more informed and supported during what is often a confusing and emotionally overwhelming time.
- Social media addiction education: Learn how social media platforms can affect children and teens, including the signs of addiction and potential mental health impacts.
- Social media addiction quiz: A simple, guided tool that helps parents evaluate whether their child may be showing signs of problematic or addictive social media use.
Text slang and emoji dictionary: Understand how teens communicate online by decoding common slang, abbreviations, and emojis that may signal risky or concerning behavior.
Each resource is built to help families recognize warning signs early, start meaningful conversations, and feel more confident in the steps they take next.
Has Your Child Been Harmed by Social Media Or AI? Contact SMVLC Today
If your child has been harmed by social media or AI, you may be searching for answers while trying to process something no family should have to face. Many parents come to the Social Media Victims Law Center feeling overwhelmed, unsure of what happened, and uncertain about what to do next. You are not alone, and you do not have to figure this out on your own.
Time matters in these cases, and early action can make a critical difference. SMVLC was founded specifically to help families challenge powerful tech companies and pursue accountability for the harm caused to children and teens. A free, confidential case evaluation can help you understand what happened, whether legal action may be possible, and how to begin protecting your family moving forward. SMVLC works on a contingency basis, so there are no fees unless compensation is recovered. Call us today at (206) 741-4862 or contact us online for a free, confidential case review.