Advocating for Atlantic Canadian Children Harmed by Social Media_.

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were intentionally designed to create addiction in children and teenagers. The companies knew this was linked to rising anxiety, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders in young users, yet they chose profit over safety.

Our children are our future, and their wellbeing matters more than any company’s bottom line. That is why MacGillivray Law is taking legal action against Meta and Google to advocate for young people’s mental health and to stand with the families who have felt this harm firsthand.

How do we help

We pursue a personal injury case for general damages, loss of earning capacity, and treatment cost. There are no fees unless we are successful.

These cases are just gaining momentum across North America, and will be defended by deep-pocketed defendants. They are an innovative cause of action that have not yet been tested in court. Not all of personal injury case will end up in court, your children’s wellbeing will be paramount.

Threshold for Serious Harm Caused by Addiction

We are taking personal injury claims against Meta and others for vulnerable children and teenagers who are addicted to social media and have suffered one of the following:

• Self-harm
• Suicide attempt
• Hospitalization for an eating disorder
• Drug overdose
• Significant and continuous counselling with a mental health diagnosis

Let Us Stand With You

If your child is struggling with one or more of the above alongside extreme social media use, you are not alone, and we are here to help.

All submissions are held in strict confidence. We are not requesting your child’s name at this stage — only some general details about what occurred. Submitting this form does not establish a solicitor-client relationship, but every submission will be reviewed and responded to through our intake team.

If your child needs support right now, help is available:

• Talk Suicide Canada: call or text 1-833-456-4566 (24/7)
• Kids Help Phone: call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)
• For general medical advice, call 811

Why we’re doing this

Social media apps are not neutral tools. They are built to capture attention and keep young users coming back, and the companies behind them have long known this causes real harm.

This isn’t about blaming kids or rejecting technology. Parents didn’t know the platforms were designed to addict their children.

We are doing our part to hold these companies accountable. This case isn’t only about compensation. It forces evidence into the open and pushes for real change: clearer warnings, safer settings, genuine age protections, and platforms built with children’s wellbeing in mind. It can also provide recourse for families already harmed.

The Companies Knew the Harm They Were Causing

• Frances Haugen, a former Meta employee, told the U.S. Senate that Meta’s products harm children, and that leaders knew how to make them safer but chose not to.
• Meta’s own 2021 internal research admitted: “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.”
• A Public Health Agency of Canada study found teens with problematic social media use had 2.64 times the risk of psychological distress and 3.45 times the risk of emotional problems, alongside lower life satisfaction, than their peers.

They had this information. They kept optimizing for engagement anyway.