Reviewed by the legal team at Estey & Bomberger, LLP · Updated November 14, 2026
California is home base for our firm. Mike Bomberger and the Estey & Bomberger team work out of San Diego, and we represent families from Los Angeles and the Inland Empire to Sacramento, Fresno and the Bay Area. The platforms at the center of these cases were built just up the coast, and California parents are often the first to see their effects on kids.
Even here, you do not need to come to our office. We meet by phone or video, or we will come to your home. California families may have claims in MDL 3047, the federal litigation coordinated in the Northern District of California, or in California state court, and we will explain which path fits your child's situation.
TikTok and social media litigation in California
Thousands of family cases are coordinated in Los Angeles Superior Court (JCCP 5255) before Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl, where the first jury verdict — $6 million against Meta and YouTube — was reached in March 2026. TikTok settled every bellwether it faced there before trial. Federal cases are centralized in Oakland in MDL 3047.
How a TikTok Lawsuit Works for California Families
Lawsuits against TikTok claim the company designed its app to keep kids hooked — through the endless For You feed, autoplay, constant notifications and appearance filters — while offering weak age checks and parental controls, and without warning families about risks its own research identified. Learn how TikTok's design hooks kids.
Where California Cases Are Filed
Federal courts. California has four federal districts: the Northern District (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Eureka), the Eastern District (Sacramento and Fresno), the Central District (Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Riverside) and the Southern District (San Diego). Federal social media addiction cases from across the country are combined in MDL 3047 in the Northern District in Oakland, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The first federal bellwether trial, a school-district case, is set to begin with jury selection on Feb. 3, 2027.
California state court (JCCP 5255). Most California families who sue in state court have their cases coordinated in the Social Media Cases, JCCP 5255, in Los Angeles County Superior Court before Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl. Coordination means pretrial work, such as gathering evidence from the companies, is handled together, while each family keeps its own case.
- First verdict: On March 25, 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and liable for failing to warn, and awarded $6 million ($3 million compensatory and $3 million punitive). In June 2026, Judge Kuhl denied their requests for a new trial, ruling that Section 230 does not bar claims about design features. The case is on appeal.
- TikTok settled before trial in every JCCP bellwether case it faced, including K.G.M. in January 2026 and others in mid-2026. Terms are confidential.
- What’s next: Judge Kuhl set three more cases for trial in March 2027 and one in August 2027.
School-district appeal. On Nov. 5, 2026, the California Court of Appeal (Second District) upheld the dismissal of state-court claims by four school districts, including San Diego Unified, against Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap (Social Media Cases, No. B340661). That ruling was about school districts’ economic losses, not individual injury cases by families.
California Laws on Kids and Social Media
Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act
Bars platforms from giving a minor an “addictive feed” (a feed picked for the user based on their data and activity) without verifiable parental consent. By default, a minor’s feed time is limited to one hour a day unless a verified parent changes it, and parents must be able to switch their child to a non-personalized feed. Starting January 1, 2027, platforms must follow Attorney General rules for figuring out whether a user is a minor.
Covered Platform Age Restriction (autoplay and personalized-feed ban for under-16s)
Says a covered platform may not give users under 16 “addictive features,” including personalized feeds and autoplay. Unlike SB 976, a parent cannot consent around it. Teens under 16 can keep an account only if those features are turned off. It also creates an e-Safety Advisory Commission. The Attorney General or a local prosecutor can seek up to $25,000 per affected minor for negligent violations and $50,000 for knowing ones. Families cannot sue under this law directly.
Injuries to Children: Civil Penalties
When a large social media platform (more than $100 million a year in revenue) fails to use ordinary care and injures a child, it owes the larger of $5,000 per violation (up to $1 million per child) or three times the child’s actual damages. Families still have to prove negligence; the law adds to the damages available, not a new kind of claim.
Social Media Warning Law
Requires social media platforms to show mental health warning labels to young users: a 10-second warning when they first log on each day, and 30-second warnings after three hours of use and hourly after that, according to the bill’s author.
Digital Age Assurance Act
Requires phone and computer operating systems and app stores to ask for a user’s age or birth date at setup and send apps an age-range signal. An app that receives the signal is treated as knowing the user’s age. App stores must get the account holder’s consent before a user under 16 downloads an app. The Attorney General enforces it.
California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act
Requires online services likely to be used by kids under 18 to set high-privacy defaults, explain privacy terms in kid-friendly language, and estimate users’ ages (or give everyone child-level protections). It also restricts some uses of children’s data and “dark patterns.”
Companion Chatbots
AI “companion” chatbots must tell known minors they are talking to AI, remind them at least every three hours to take a break, and take reasonable steps to block sexual content for minors. Operators must have a suicide and self-harm response plan. People harmed by a violation can sue.
Phone-Free School Act
Every school district, county office of education and charter school had to adopt a policy limiting or banning student smartphone use at school by July 1, 2026, and update it every five years. Students may still use phones in emergencies, with a teacher’s permission, when a doctor says it is needed, or when an IEP requires it.
Off-Campus Cyberbullying Model Policy
Requires the California Department of Education to create a model policy for responding to cyberbullying and harassment that happens off campus or after school hours when it creates a hostile school environment. Local schools serving grades 4–12 must adopt it and share it with staff, students and parents.
California Government Actions Against TikTok and Social Media Companies
California v. TikTok. On Oct. 8, 2024, Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York’s Attorney General led a group of 14 attorneys general suing TikTok. California filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court under its Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. The state says TikTok’s recommendation system, autoplay and push notifications were built to keep kids hooked, and that TikTok misled the public about the app’s safety. The state seeks penalties and court orders. We found no public ruling ending the case as of November 2026.
California and the states v. Meta. On Oct. 24, 2023, California co-led a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general that sued Meta in federal court in Oakland over Instagram and Facebook’s effects on young users. On Aug. 26, 2026, during trial, Meta agreed to a settlement with the states worth up to about $17 billion over 10 years, with about 30% depending on TikTok and YouTube adopting similar protections. Bonta said California could receive $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion. Meta also agreed to teen changes such as daily usage limits, nighttime blocks, stronger age checks and more parental tools.
Defending California’s laws. The Attorney General is defending SB 976, AB 2273, AB 56 and AB 1709 against lawsuits by tech companies and their trade group. In August 2026, a federal judge ruled the state may enforce SB 976’s personalized-feed rules against TikTok, Meta and YouTube while the case continues.
Deadlines to File a TikTok Lawsuit in California
Personal injury: generally two years. Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, a lawsuit for injury to a person, or for a death, caused by someone else’s wrongful act or neglect generally must be filed within two years.
Children get extra time. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 352(a), the time a person is under 18 usually does not count toward the deadline. For many teens, that means the two-year clock does not start until their 18th birthday. This matters for young adults ages 18 to 25 whose problems started when they were minors.
Wrongful death. If a child or young adult died, certain family members can bring a wrongful death claim under Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60. The deadline is generally two years from the death under § 335.1.
The discovery rule. California courts may delay the start of the clock until a person discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the injury and its cause (Fox v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (2005) 35 Cal.4th 797). Whether it applies depends on the facts.
Claims against public agencies are much shorter. Claims for injury against a public entity, such as a public school district, usually must be presented within six months (Government Code § 911.2), and the extra time for minors in § 352 does not apply to those claims (§ 352(b)).
Deadlines depend on the facts of each case, and missing one can end a claim for good. Please contact a lawyer as soon as you can to learn which deadline applies to your family.
What California’s Student Survey Shows About Teen Mental Health
The California Healthy Kids Survey asks students in grades 7, 9 and 11 across the state about their well-being. In the 2019–21 statewide survey, chronic sadness or hopelessness (feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stopped doing some usual activities) reached the highest levels the survey had ever recorded:
| Grade | Chronic sadness or hopelessness | Seriously considered suicide (past year) |
|---|---|---|
| 7th grade | 32% | 14% |
| 9th grade | 37% | 16% |
| 11th grade | 42% | 16% |
Girls were hit hardest. Among 11th graders, 52% of girls reported chronic sadness, compared with 31% of boys.
This survey does not measure what caused these feelings, and it does not prove that social media caused them. But it shows why so many California parents are worried, and why the state has passed so many laws about kids and social media.
California’s New Rules for Kids Online: What Changes and When
California has passed more laws on kids and social media than almost any other state. Several of them start on January 1, 2027, but tech companies are fighting many of them in court. Here is where things stand as of November 2026:
| Law | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SB 976 | Parental consent for personalized feeds for minors; one-hour default limit | Feed rules enforceable; age-check rules start Jan. 1, 2027; appeals pending |
| AB 1709 | No personalized feeds or autoplay for users under 16 | Starts Jan. 1, 2027; TikTok, Meta and Google sued Nov. 4, 2026 |
| AB 56 | Mental health warning labels for young users | Starts Jan. 1, 2027; challenged in federal court |
| AB 1043 | Age signals from phones, computers and app stores | Operative Jan. 1, 2027 |
| AB 2 | Higher damages when large platforms negligently injure a child | Applies to cases not pending on or before Jan. 1, 2027 |
Schools, too. Under the Phone-Free School Act (AB 3216), every California school district and charter school had to adopt a policy limiting or banning student smartphone use by July 1, 2026. Ask your child’s school for its policy. A 2025 law, AB 772, also requires schools to adopt a policy for responding to off-campus cyberbullying.
These laws mostly let the state, not families, enforce them. A family’s own injury case is usually based on long-standing California law, such as negligence and product liability.
What California Families Should Know Before Filing
- Your case stays your own. California family cases are usually coordinated with others in Los Angeles (JCCP 5255) or in the federal MDL in Oakland, but each family keeps its own claim. This is not a class action.
- Timing matters. The two-year clock under CCP § 335.1 often starts at age 18 for injuries that began in childhood, but every case is different. Don’t wait to ask.
- Save what you can. Keep medical, counseling and school records, and screenshots of screen-time reports, app settings and account information. Don’t delete your child’s accounts before talking to a lawyer.
- It’s not just TikTok. We also review cases involving Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.
- Local help. Estey & Bomberger’s attorneys are licensed in California, and our office is in San Diego at 2869 India St. Your first case review is free.
Past results, like the $6 million K.G.M. verdict, do not guarantee any result in another case.
Injuries in California TikTok Cases
We represent California children, teens and young adults who developed serious conditions after heavy social media use, including:
- Eating Disorders
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Body Dysmorphia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Self-Harm
- Suicide Attempt
- Teen Suicide & Wrongful Death
- Sextortion
- Child Sexual Exploitation
TikTok is our focus, but we also take cases involving Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook.
Cities We Serve in California
We represent families in every corner of California, including its 50 largest cities below, as well as smaller towns and rural communities. You never need to travel to our office.
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Jose
- San Francisco
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- Long Beach
- Oakland
- Bakersfield
- Anaheim
- Stockton
- Riverside
- Irvine
- Santa Ana
- Chula Vista
- Santa Clarita
- Fremont
- San Bernardino
- Fontana
- Modesto
- Moreno Valley
- Oxnard
- Huntington Beach
- Glendale
- Ontario
- Elk Grove
- Santa Rosa
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Oceanside
- Garden Grove
- Lancaster
- Roseville
- Palmdale
- Corona
- Salinas
- Hayward
- Sunnyvale
- Pomona
- Visalia
- Escondido
- Victorville
- Fullerton
- Torrance
- Orange
- Pasadena
- Santa Clara
- Clovis
- Simi Valley
- Vallejo
- Concord
Ranked by population. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates for incorporated places (July 1, 2025).
California Counties We Serve
All 58 California counties (San Francisco is a combined city and county):
- Alameda
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Del Norte
- El Dorado
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Humboldt
- Imperial
- Inyo
- Kern
- Kings
- Lake
- Lassen
- Los Angeles
- Madera
- Marin
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Monterey
- Napa
- Nevada
- Orange
- Placer
- Plumas
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Benito
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Luis Obispo
- San Mateo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tulare
- Tuolumne
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
California Mental Health and Crisis Resources
If your child is in danger right now, call 911. For a mental health crisis anywhere in California, call or text 988, day or night.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988, any time, for free and confidential crisis support. Call 911 in an emergency.
- California Youth Crisis Line — Call or text 1-800-843-5200, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For youth ages 12–24 and families in crisis. Online chat is also available.
- Soluna (CalHOPE) — Free, state-funded mental health app for Californians ages 13–25: coaching, peer support and self-help tools. No insurance needed.
- BrightLife Kids (CalHOPE) — Free, state-funded coaching and support for California families with children ages 0–12. Call (888) 275-5357.
- California Peer-Run Warm Line — Non-emergency emotional support from trained peers. Call or text 855-600-WARM (9276). Check the website for current hours.
- County mental health plans (Medi-Cal) — Find the mental health access line for your county from the California Department of Health Care Services.
- California Attorney General consumer complaints — Report a business, including an app or online platform, to the California Department of Justice.
What to Do Now
- Make sure your child is safe and getting care. If they're in crisis, call or text 988. See getting help for your child.
- Don't delete their TikTok or other accounts. Save the evidence.
- Call (858) 923-5554 or request a free case review.
California TikTok Lawsuit FAQ
Where would my California social media addiction case be filed?
Most California families file in state court, where cases are coordinated in Los Angeles County Superior Court (JCCP 5255) before Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl. Some cases go to federal court instead, where they join MDL 3047 in Oakland. Your lawyer can explain which path fits your case.
How long do we have to file in California?
The general deadline for injury cases is two years (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1). For children, the clock usually does not run while they are under 18 (§ 352). Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within two years of the death. Deadlines depend on the facts, so please talk with a lawyer soon.
My child is now 19. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. Because California usually pauses the deadline while a person is a minor, many young adults whose problems started as teens still have time. We help young adults up to age 25 whose problems began before they turned 18. A lawyer needs to look at your dates to be sure.
Does California’s new AB 2 law help my family’s case?
AB 2 (Civil Code § 1714.02) raises the damages a large social media platform can owe when it negligently injures a child: the larger of $5,000 per violation (up to $1 million per child) or three times actual damages. It does not apply to cases pending on or before January 1, 2027. Whether it applies to you depends on when your case is filed.
Can my family sue under SB 976 or AB 1709?
AB 1709 is enforced only by the Attorney General and local prosecutors, so families cannot sue under it directly. These laws mainly set rules for the platforms. Family injury cases are usually based on California negligence and product liability law, which is what the Los Angeles jury applied in the K.G.M. case.
Did TikTok pay anything in the California trials?
TikTok settled every California bellwether case it faced before trial, including the first one, K.G.M., in January 2026. The amounts are confidential. The $6 million K.G.M. verdict was against Meta and YouTube. Past results do not guarantee any outcome in your case.
Do I need a California lawyer?
It helps to work with lawyers who know California’s courts and deadlines. Estey & Bomberger’s attorneys are licensed in California, and our office is in San Diego. We can review your family’s situation for free.
Do I need a lawyer located in California?
No. These cases are coordinated nationally, and our firm represents families across the country by phone, video and in-person visits. When a case requires it, we work with local counsel licensed in California, with your consent.
What does it cost?
Nothing up front. We work on contingency, so we are paid only if we recover money for your family. The consultation is free.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2025 (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals: 2020–2025 (Vintage 2025)
- Order Denying Motions for Preliminary Injunction, Meta/TikTok/Google v. Bonta (N.D. Cal. Aug. 5, 2026)
- NetChoice v. Bonta (SB 976) case page
- EPIC: Ninth Circuit rejects NetChoice’s attack on California’s addictive feed regulation
- PPC Land: TikTok faces one-hour default teen feed limit in California after court loss
- TikTok Inc. v. Bonta complaint challenging AB 1709 (C.D. Cal. No. 2:26-cv-12965, Nov. 4, 2026)
- Hunton: California enacts covered platform age restrictions (AB 1709)
- Governor Newsom signs child safety chatbot and social media laws (Sept. 10, 2026)
- Davis+Gilbert: California signs online child safety package
- Medianama: Meta, Google and TikTok sue California over AB 1709
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 2 (2026)
- Lavian: California’s AB 1709 and AB 2
- Governor Newsom signs bills protecting children online (Oct. 13, 2025)
- Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan: Governor signs AB 56 social media warning labels
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 56 (2025)
- NetChoice v. Bonta (AB 56 warning labels) case page
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 1043 Digital Age Assurance Act
- Ninth Circuit opinion, NetChoice v. Bonta, No. 25-2366 (Mar. 12, 2026)
- Cooley: Ninth Circuit narrows injunction against California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 2273 (2022)
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: SB 243 Companion chatbots
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 3216 Phone-Free School Act
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 772 off-campus cyberbullying
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 352
- California Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60
- California Government Code § 911.2
- Fox v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (2005) 35 Cal.4th 797
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- K.G.M. v. Meta et al. (JCCP 5255)
- Social Media Cases, Cal. Court of Appeal No. B340661 (Nov. 5, 2026)
- Courthouse News: Appeals court affirms dismissal of school districts’ lawsuits
- California AG: Bonta and James lead coalition suing TikTok (Oct. 8, 2024)
- California AG: Bonta files lawsuit against Meta over harms to youth mental health (Oct. 24, 2023)
- CNBC: Meta settles social media addiction case with California, other states (Aug. 26, 2026)
- WestEd/CalSCHLS: Mental Health Among California Secondary Students, Eighteenth Biennial State CHKS 2019/21
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- California Youth Crisis Line
- Soluna
- BrightLife Kids
- California Peer-Run Warm Line
- DHCS County Mental Health Plan contact list
- California AG consumer complaint form
State laws and court rulings change. Information checked November 14, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Also serving families in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Texas and every other state.