Meta, Google and TikTok to face trial over accusations of children's social media addiction

A U.S. federal appeals court has allowed thousands of lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap and other technology companies to proceed. The plaintiffs claim that the platforms deliberately used features capable of causing addiction in children and teenagers.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the companies' attempt to immediately appeal a lower court ruling. As a result, the consolidated cases filed by minors, parents, school districts and state attorneys general may move forward to further proceedings.

The claims concern not only the content posted by users, but also the design of the platforms themselves. Among the potentially dangerous mechanisms, the plaintiffs cite endless scrolling, autoplay of videos, personalized recommendations and notifications that encourage users to constantly return to the applications.

The plaintiffs link social media use to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm and other youth mental health problems. The companies themselves deny responsibility and emphasize the parental control and minor protection features they have implemented.

The technology corporations tried to invoke Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act. This provision largely shields online platforms from liability for materials posted by third parties.

However, the court decided that this legal defense is an argument against liability, not an automatic immunity from the lawsuit itself. Therefore, the appeal was filed prematurely. At the same time, the court did not establish the companies' guilt or issue a final decision on the plaintiffs' demands.

The companies will be able to again use the Section 230 arguments at later stages of the proceedings. The current ruling simply means that they were unable to halt the thousands of cases before their full consideration.

Based on materials from: Axios, TechCrunch, Forbes