US appeals court says social media addiction lawsuits can proceed
Summary
A U.S. appeals court allowed thousands of lawsuits to proceed against social media companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok. The lawsuits claim these companies made addictive products that harm children and rejected the companies’ efforts to stop the cases before trial.Key Facts
- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the companies’ appeal came too early and denied their request to delay a trial.
- The lawsuits say Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, and others designed products to keep kids hooked and misled the public about safety.
- The companies argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects them from liability, but the court disagreed.
- The trial is set to begin before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
- Similar legal and regulatory actions are happening worldwide, including bans on social media use by children in France, Australia, and the UK.
- Meta and Google deny wrongdoing and plan to appeal the court’s decisions.
- Previous cases include a jury awarding $6 million to a woman who said she was addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child.
- Meta lost a New Mexico lawsuit and faced penalties exceeding $900 million for misleading claims and creating a public nuisance.
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