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US appeal court lets thousands of social media lawsuits proceed
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid to overturn a ruling that sent the cases toward trial over claims platforms were designed to be addictive to young users.
A US appeal court on Monday allowed thousands of lawsuits to move forward against Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok, and other social media companies, after rejecting an effort to reverse a lower court decision.
The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals turned down the companies’ bid related to some 2,400 lawsuits, with the court saying the appeal was filed too early for it to decide on the merits of the arguments during the current stage of the case.
The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 should also shield them from allegations that they failed to warn the public about the addictive nature of their platforms, but the judges indicated that most such appeals come after trial is concluded.
The lawsuits, filed by states, municipalities, school districts, and individuals, allege the platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users and link that conduct to broader youth mental health harm, including claims of increased depression, anxiety, and body image issues.