A U.S. appeals court did not block thousands of lawsuits against social media companies over children's addiction
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected an attempt by Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google to defend themselves against thousands of lawsuits. The lawsuits accuse the companies of intentionally creating products that can be addictive to minors.
According to TechCrunch, citing Reuters, the platforms attempted to invoke Section 230 of U.S. law. This provision protects publishers and platforms from liability for user-generated content.
The companies argued that Section 230 should also apply to claims that they failed to warn the public about design choices that could lead to addiction. However, the court noted that the appeal may have been filed prematurely, as such appeals are typically filed after a trial has concluded.
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The lawsuits were filed by private individuals, state and local governments, and school districts. They have been consolidated into a single federal proceeding, which will continue to be heard in this format.
The outcome of these cases is still unknown. Meanwhile, Meta has already lost two trials on similar claims. According to TechCrunch, these were the first instances in which juries found the platform liable in cases related to child safety.
