Meta, others lose appeal to drop thousands of social media addiction lawsuits
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A U.S. Appeals Court said Monday that thousands of lawsuits targeting Meta Platforms, ByteDance's TikTok and other social media outlets over claims that social media is harmful and addictive can proceed.
The big picture: Tech companies have thus far skirted major regulatory scrutiny at the federal level, but the lawsuits suggest it isn't immune to heavy court penalties, which can be just as, if not more, punitive in the long term.
Driving the news: A Ninth Circuit panel dismissed Meta and TikTok's appeals, concluding the request came too early in the lawsuit.
- The companies argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — which generally protects online platforms from liability for third-party content posted by users — offered them immunity from being sued, but the appeals court disagreed.
- Instead, in a 24-page opinion by Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, the court ruled Section 230 provides a defense against liability, not blanket immunity from being sued.
Catch up quick: Thousands of lawsuits accuse Meta of designing its products in ways that make them harmful to young people, including by making it easy to bypass parental controls and allowing minors to access exploitative content.
- In March, a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent and liable for harms people experience on their platforms.
- That ruling awarded $3 million to a young woman who said her social media addiction led to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. The jury also recommended an additional $3 million for punitive damages.
- TikTok and Snap Inc, the makers of Snapchat, settled with the plaintiff before the trial began.
What we're watching: On Monday, the court also denied Meta's request to postpone a trial over allegations that they used data from children to keep them on its platforms.
- The trial is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout.
Go deeper: Scoop: Meta removes ads for social media addiction litigation
