U.S. court allows thousands of lawsuits against Meta and other social networks to proceed
Kyiv • UNN
A U.S. appeals court has allowed more than 3,000 lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat to proceed. The companies are accused of creating platforms that cause addiction among young users.
A U.S. appeals court has allowed more than 3,000 lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat to proceed, in which the companies are accused of creating platforms that are addictive to young users. Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected Meta and TikTok’s attempt to challenge a lower court ruling. The companies cited Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from liability for users’ content.
The court ruled that the law provides protection from liability but does not exempt companies from lawsuits, so their appeal was premature.
Google and Meta lose bid to dismiss youth social media addiction lawsuit11.06.26, 05:17 • 4333 views
The lawsuits were filed by states, municipalities, school districts and private individuals. They argue that social media companies deliberately designed their platforms to keep young users engaged, contributing to the spread of depression, anxiety and body image issues.
Pressure on Meta intensifies
The court also rejected Meta’s request to delay proceedings in a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general. They accuse the company of illegally collecting and using children’s data, creating mechanisms that promote addiction, and misleading users about the safety of its platforms.
The decision was another blow to Meta after a New Mexico court last week ordered the company to pay $567 million to a fund for teenagers’ mental health and take additional measures to protect young users.