BY COMFORT OGBONNA
A U.S. appeals court has allowed thousands of lawsuits against major social media companies to move forward, rejecting efforts by Meta Platforms and TikTok to immediately challenge a lower court decision that allowed claims over alleged harm to young users to proceed.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Meta, TikTok and other companies could not yet appeal the lower court’s decision because the cases had not reached a final judgment. The ruling means lawsuits against Meta, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat will continue through the legal process.
The lawsuits, numbering more than 3,000 in federal court, accuse the companies of designing their platforms in ways that encourage excessive use among children and teenagers. Plaintiffs argue that these design choices contributed to growing concerns about youth mental health, including increased anxiety, depression and body-image issues.
The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protected them from the lawsuits. The law generally provides online platforms with protection from liability related to content created by users.
However, the companies argued that the protection should also apply to claims that they failed to warn users about potential risks associated with their platforms.
The appeals court disagreed, saying Section 230 provides a legal defense against liability but does not prevent lawsuits from continuing before a case reaches its conclusion. The court determined that the companies’ appeal came too early.
The decision also rejected Meta’s request to delay a trial involving 29 state attorneys general, which accuses the company of improperly collecting and using children’s data, creating features designed to keep young users engaged and misleading consumers about platform safety.
The trial is scheduled to proceed after the court declined to pause the case while the appeal was pending.
Meta declined to comment on the ruling, while TikTok representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Attorneys representing thousands of individuals, school districts and other plaintiffs said the decision allows major legal proceedings to continue, including a trial brought by states and another case involving school districts expected to begin later.
The lawsuits are part of a broader legal challenge against the technology companies, with plaintiffs seeking financial damages, penalties and other remedies.
The cases have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, where many claims against the companies are being handled together.
The companies had previously challenged rulings that allowed much of the litigation to continue, arguing that the claims should be dismissed under federal protections. The appeals court’s latest decision means those arguments will not be considered until the appropriate stage of the legal process.
Beyond federal court, the companies are also facing hundreds of similar lawsuits in state courts. Thousands of additional claims have been combined into a separate proceeding in California state court.
The legal challenges have already produced significant courtroom developments. Earlier this year, a California jury found Meta and Google responsible for negligence in the design of their platforms in a case involving claims that social media products harmed young users.
The jury awarded millions of dollars to a young woman who said she developed an addiction to Instagram and YouTube during childhood.
Meta has also faced a separate legal setback in New Mexico, where a judge found the company responsible for creating a public nuisance related to youth safety concerns and ordered the company to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to a youth mental health fund while implementing additional safety measures.
Meta and Google have denied wrongdoing in the various cases and have said they plan to continue defending themselves through appeals and legal proceedings.
The lawsuits represent one of the most significant legal challenges facing the social media industry, as governments, schools, parents and individuals continue to debate the impact of online platforms on children and teenagers.
The ongoing cases could influence how technology companies design their products, communicate safety risks and address concerns about young users in the future.
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