Still other researchers point to a February 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that girls who “felt sad or hopeless increased dramatically” from 2011 to 2021, and say that such feelings are largely attributable to the rise of smartphones and social media.

Deborah Hensler, a law professor at Stanford University, told Forbes that while public nuisance lawsuits have had “mixed success,” these cases may have a better chance at working because they focus on an issue that hits close to home for many.

“Most of us care about kids and what happens to them, so focusing on the addiction of young people I think makes for litigation where plaintiffs have a higher chance of prevailing,” she said.