If a child has been harmed online, what to do first

Identify the product precisely

Brand alone is frequently insufficient, because litigation is usually defined around specific versions and periods.

• Brand or common name as you know it
• Manufacturer, if shown on packaging or records
• Model, formulation, strength, or version
• Lot, batch, serial, or reference number
• Where photographs of these markings are stored

Use or exposure period

• First date of use or exposure, and how you know
• Last date of use or exposure
• Frequency, dose, or duration
• Any interruptions, switches, or changes in version
• Who prescribed, installed, sold, or supplied it

Where the exposure happened

• Home addresses during the relevant period
• Employers, job titles, and worksites
• Specific buildings, facilities, or areas
• Water source, if relevant
• Anyone else exposed in the same setting

Records that could confirm it

• Pharmacy dispensing history and which pharmacies
• Operative report, implant card, or device sticker
• Purchase records, receipts, or online order history
• Insurance claim history
• Employment or personnel records

Before the exposure

Alternative explanations are the central defense argument, so this section is not optional.

• Existing conditions and when they were diagnosed
• Medications taken and for how long
• Relevant family history
• Prior injuries to the same body system

During the exposure period

• Routine visits and what was noted
• Any symptom you reported, and to whom
• Tests, imaging, or lab work performed
• Changes in dose, version, or work assignment

Onset and diagnosis

The last item can matter to filing deadlines in states applying a discovery rule. Record it factually rather than shaping it.

• When symptoms first appeared, as precisely as you can
• When you first sought care for them
• Date of diagnosis and the diagnosing provider
• When you first connected the injury to the product or exposure

Treatment and effect

• Procedures, hospitalizations, and ongoing treatment
• Providers, with contact details
• Time away from work and lost income
• Activities you can no longer do that you previously could

The physical item

• Product, device components, or remaining material kept unaltered
• Packaging, labels, inserts, and any recall notice
• Photographs of every marking, from multiple angles
• A note of where the item is stored and who has access

Documents to request now

Third parties are slow and retention policies are not written with your claim in mind.

• Complete medical charts, not summaries
• Pharmacy dispensing history from every pharmacy used
• Operative reports and implant documentation
• Employment or personnel records for exposure periods
• Purchase records, receipts, and order history

Digital records people lose

Do not delete anything relevant, including material that seems unhelpful.

• Online order and delivery history, exported or captured
• Loyalty or pharmacy account records
• Photographs with original timestamps preserved
• Messages referring to the product or symptoms

Your own account

• A dated written narrative of use and symptoms
• Names and contact details for anyone who observed the use or the injury
• A note of any conversation with a manufacturer, retailer, or insurer
• Copies of anything you have already signed

What you can establish

• Product identification, and how you can prove it
• Use or exposure period, and the supporting record
• Diagnosis, and the record establishing it
• When you first connected the two

What you have already done

• Whether the product is preserved, and where
• Which records you have requested and which have arrived
• Whether you have spoken with, or signed with, any other firm
• Anything already signed with a manufacturer, retailer, or insurer

What you verified independently

• Whether a federal proceeding appears in the Judicial Panel's own listing
• Whether an agency has published a recall or safety communication
• The licensing record of the attorney you are speaking with
• The date you checked each source

Questions to ask

• Are you an attorney, and which firm is responsible for my claim?
• Would my case be referred to another firm?
• What deadline applies to a claim like mine, and where does it come from?
• What in my facts would you want to see before assessing this?
• What is the fee, and does it change by stage?
• Are costs deducted before or after the fee, and do I owe them if there is no recovery?
• Could a common benefit assessment apply, and who resolves liens?
• Who is my day-to-day contact, and how will I hear about deadlines?

Before you end the call

• What the next step is, and who takes it
• What you should avoid doing in the meantime
• What you are being asked to sign, and whether you can take it away
• What happens if you decline a proposed resolution later

Does the proceeding exist

• Checked the Judicial Panel's own pending MDL listing
• Checked the responsible agency for a recall or safety communication
• Asked the firm where the proceeding is and what its docket is
• Noted any mismatch between the advertisement and official sources

Who is contacting you

• Confirmed whether the caller is an attorney
• Looked up the attorney's licensing record and status
• Confirmed the individual named on any agreement matches
• Asked which firm would be responsible and whether the case would be referred

Warning signs to check for

The Federal Trade Commission describes upfront payment demands — framed as retainer, processing, administrative, tax, or handling charges — as a recurring recovery-scam pattern, and advises never paying upfront to obtain a recovery.

• Any request for payment upfront to pursue a recovery
• A guarantee of approval, payment, or a specific amount
• A statement that you have already been approved
• Pressure to sign immediately without an explained deadline
• Claims of influence over a court, agency, or program
• Knowledge of medical details you never shared publicly

Before you provide anything

• Asked for all material in writing
• Declined to confirm medical details to an unsolicited caller
• Taken any agreement away to read rather than signing on the call
• Considered speaking with a second firm

Use history

Record which and when. Do not paste message content into this document.

• Which platforms were used, and roughly from when
• Approximate ages at first use of each
• Any change in how much time was spent, and when you noticed
• Whether an account data export has been requested
• Where devices and account information are now kept

What changed, and when

• Sleep, appetite, school attendance, or grades
• Withdrawal from activities or friendships previously enjoyed
• Mood changes you observed, with approximate dates
• When you first became concerned, and what prompted it
• What you tried, and what happened

Help sought

• First conversation with a clinician, school, or counselor
• Diagnoses discussed, and by whom
• Treatment started, changed, or stopped, with dates
• Whether records have been requested from each provider

Everything else happening at the time

This section feels counterproductive and is essential. Alternative explanations are the central defense, and a professional needs them to assess anything honestly.

• Family changes — moves, separation, bereavement, illness
• School changes, bullying, or academic pressure
• Prior mental health history in your child or family
• Other stressors during the same period

The three questions, every time

• Who will see this — the firm, an expert, the other side, the court, the public record?
• What happens to it afterwards — retained, returned, or destroyed?
• Is there a narrower version that answers the same question?

Before using a firm's intake portal

• Asked what happens to uploads if you do not engage the firm
• Asked who inside the firm can access the material
• Asked whether it is retained, and for how long
• Decided whether to wait until after engaging them

Questions for counsel about court handling

Availability varies by court and proceeding. Ask rather than assume in either direction.

• What protections exist for a minor's identity in this proceeding?
• What becomes part of a public record?
• Can sensitive records be handled under a protective arrangement?
• What court involvement does a minor's claim or settlement require here?

Handling material at home

• Stored somewhere access-controlled rather than a shared drive
• Not circulated in family group chats
• Not posted publicly or shared with media or support groups
• A record kept of what was disclosed, to whom, and when

Your child's involvement

Being overruled about private material can itself be harmful. This is a genuine consideration, not a formality.

• Considered whether your child should know what is being shared
• Where age and circumstances allow, discussed it with them
• Noted any material they have asked not to be shared

What you can describe

• A dated summary of what changed and when
• Which platforms were used and roughly when
• What clinical help was sought, and when
• What records you already hold
• What has been preserved, and where it is

What you verified independently

• Whether the proceeding described appears on the court's own page
• The licensing record of the attorney you are speaking with
• Whether the firm is the one that would be responsible
• The date you checked each

Questions about the claim

• What makes this claim difficult?
• What evidence would strengthen it, and what is missing?
• What do you expect the defense to argue?
• What happens if the evidence does not develop as hoped?

Questions about the minor's position

• How do you handle a minor claimant's records and privacy?
• What court involvement does a minor's claim or settlement require here?
• What would my child personally have to participate in?
• What becomes part of a public record?

Questions about the firm and the money

• Which firm is responsible, and would this be referred elsewhere?
• Does the percentage change by stage?
• Are costs deducted before or after the fee is calculated?
• Do we owe advanced costs if there is no recovery?
• Who resolves any reimbursement or lien issue?

Before you leave

• What the next step is, and who takes it
• What you should avoid doing in the meantime
• What you are being asked to sign, and whether you can take it away

Where to report

The national reporting center reviews each report and makes it available to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for possible investigation.

• Emergency services, if a child is in immediate danger
• The national reporting center's CyberTipline, online or by telephone, available at all hours
• A local FBI field office, its telephone line, or its online tips portal
• Local law enforcement
• The platform's own reporting route — in addition to, never instead of, the above

What to record about each report

• Date and time the report was made
• Which body or platform received it
• Any reference or case number given
• Who you spoke to, if anyone
• What you were told would happen next

What to preserve

Preserve access, not content. Do not open, copy, or store explicit material involving a child — report it and let investigators handle it.

• The account — do not delete or deactivate before asking
• The device — do not wipe, reset, or trade it in
• Usernames and approximate dates involved
• Any platform response or reference number

Support alongside reporting

Federal caregiver guidance is explicit that victims are not at fault and that a caregiver's first move should be to help.

• Clinical support for the child, which is separate from any legal question
• Telling the child plainly that they are not in trouble
• Support for the caregiver, which is frequently overlooked

The charges

• Date and amount of each disputed charge
• Which account the charges came from
• The payment method used, and whether it was stored on the account
• Whether charges were a single event or spread over time
• The card or bank statement lines showing them

The account

• Account holder name and username
• Whether the account belongs to an adult or a child
• Whether a linked parent account exists
• Which parental controls were active, and when they changed
• Whether spending notifications were enabled

What you have already tried

These are separate routes with separate rules. A refusal from one does not decide the others.

• Platform refund request — date, reference, and outcome
• App store or payment provider request — date and outcome
• Card issuer or bank dispute — date and outcome
• Any reason given for a refusal

Preventing a repeat

Platform controls are described in each company's own published material and change. Check the current settings for the service you use.

• Stored payment methods removed
• Purchase authentication required
• Spending notifications turned on
• Screen time and content settings reviewed