US court rules Meta, other tech firms must face thousands of lawsuits over social media addiction

On August 10, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals allowed thousands of lawsuits against Meta Platforms, Alphabet's Google, ByteDance's TikTok, and Snap Inc.'s Snapchat to proceed. The companies are being sued for allegedly designing their social media platforms to be addictive to young users, contributing to mental health crises among American youth.

Meta and TikTok had sought to overturn a lower court ruling requiring them to face over 3,000 lawsuits filed in federal court, arguing that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protected them from such claims. However, the appeals court rejected their appeal, stating that Section 230 provides a defense to liability, not immunity from lawsuits.

The lawsuits, filed by states, municipalities, school districts, and individuals, allege that social media companies intentionally addicted young users, leading to rising depression, anxiety, and body-image issues.