A U.S. appeals court on Monday permitted thousands of lawsuits to advance against Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat. The suits claim the firms designed their services to foster addiction among young users.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an early appeal by Meta and TikTok. It upheld a lower court decision allowing more than 3,000 federal cases to continue, ruling the firms had sought review prematurely.
The companies maintained that Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act shields them from suits alleging failure to warn about platform addictiveness. The court held that the provision offers a liability defense rather than lawsuit immunity, making the appeal premature.
The panel also rejected Meta’s request to delay a trial starting Wednesday. That case, brought by 29 state attorneys general, accuses the company of improperly collecting children’s data, engineering platforms to hook young users, and misrepresenting safety.
Days earlier, a New Mexico judge ruled Meta created a public nuisance and ordered it to pay $567 million into a youth mental health fund while adopting safety measures.
Meta declined comment. TikTok representatives did not respond immediately. Attorneys for plaintiffs said the decision clears the way for upcoming trials involving states and school districts.
The consolidated cases allege social media firms deliberately addicted minors, fueling rises in depression, anxiety and body-image problems. They seek damages and other relief. Hundreds more similar suits remain in state courts.
