US court rules Meta, other tech companies must face thousands of lawsuits over social media addiction
A U.S. appeals court on Monday allowed thousands of lawsuits to move forward against Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and other social media companies over claims they designed their products to be addictive to young users.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the companies’ bid to overturn a lower court ruling allowing more than 3,000 federal lawsuits to proceed, saying the appeal came too early.
The defendants, which also include Snap’s Snapchat, argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which generally shields online companies from liability for user-posted content, also bars lawsuits alleging they failed to warn about their platforms’ addictive nature. But the 9th Circuit said Section 230 provides a defense to liability, not immunity from lawsuits, making the appeal premature.
The court also denied Meta’s request to postpone a trial beginning Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general. The states allege Meta illegally collected and used children’s data, designed its platforms to keep young users hooked and misled consumers about their safety.
The lawsuits, filed by states, municipalities, school districts, parents and individuals, allege the companies intentionally addicted young users, contributing to rising depression, anxiety, body-image issues and a broader youth mental health crisis.
The cases, consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, seek damages, penalties and restitution. The companies are also facing about 3,300 similar lawsuits consolidated in California state court.
In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent and awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child.
Meta also lost both phases of a New Mexico lawsuit. A jury ordered it to pay $375 million in March, and a judge on Thursday ordered another $567 million, finding Meta created a public nuisance and requiring youth-safety measures. Meta and Google, which deny the claims, said they would appeal.
