--- title: "Meta and TikTok Have Been Secretly Paying Millions of Dollars to Teens to Keep Their Experiences Out of Court" description: "Meta and TikTok secretly paid off a dozen teen plaintiffs in settlements most of which ranged anywhere from $2 million to $2.5 million." date: "2026-11-14" modified: "2026-11-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor.md" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/meta-tiktok-secretly-paying-off-teens" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Mental Health" --- # Meta and TikTok Have Been Secretly Paying Millions of Dollars to Teens to Keep Their Experiences Out of Court ![Hands going through a stack of dollar bills.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* It's more apparent than ever just how harmful social media is to the impressionable minds of teens. But that's not a story that social platforms want you to hear. According to explosive [new reporting by *Bloomberg*](), both Meta and TikTok secretly paid off a dozen teen plaintiffs in settlements most of which ranged anywhere from $2 million to $2.5 million in a bid to keep their claims out of the public eye. The teen plaintiffs accused the companies of causing their depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and anxiety. According to the publication's insider sources, Meta paid just two teens a combined $7 million to keep them quiet — a startling revelation that highlights how far these companies are willing to keep a highly sensitive subject out of the headlines. Experts say it's also a part of a broader effort to discourage other plaintiffs to come forward, a gambit that isn't exactly paying off. Per *Bloomberg*, there are almost 10,000 personal injury cases still pending in both state and federal courts against Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok following landmark trials that opened the floodgates. Over 1,000 school districts are also [accusing social media companies]() of harming students, prioritizing profits over the safety of underage users. In other words, despite its efforts to keep teen plaintiffs quiet by paying them millions of dollars, the companies are still exposed to plenty of liability, which could add up to almost $400 billion, according to *Bloomberg*'s estimates. The social media companies "offered so much money that my clients could not refuse," trial attorney Mark Lanier, who represents two of the teen plaintiffs, told *Bloomberg*. "These are not insignificant numbers." "I believe they are the first dominoes to fall in what will be a succession of dominoes to come," he added. **More on social media addiction:** [*Horrifying Research Finds What Happens to 12-Year-Olds Who Get Smart Phones*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Thousands of Scientific Studies Disrupted by TikTok Teen]() - [FTC Slams TikTok With Record Fine For Spying on Pre-Teens]() - [Bored Teens Are Posting on TikTok About Being Quarantined]() - [TikTok Has Been Completely Taken Over by AI Slop]() - [ISIS Is Using TikTok to Spread Propaganda]() - [Zuckerberg Suffers Pair of Bruising Courtroom Defeats in Two Days That Could Cost Him a Fortune]() - [Research Confirms TikTok Is a Cesspool of Misinformation]() - [Employees at TikTok Apparently Have a Secret Button That Can Make Anything Go Viral]()