The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has allowed more than 3,000 lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap to proceed. The companies are accused of developing features deliberately designed to keep children and teenagers engaged on their platforms and potentially contribute to mental health problems.
Meta and TikTok sought to have the cases dismissed, citing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The provision protects online platforms from certain claims related to user-generated content. However, the court ruled that Section 230 provides legal protection under specific circumstances but does not give companies blanket immunity from lawsuits.
The cases consolidated in California involve individual users, families, school districts, municipalities and state authorities. Plaintiffs allege that recommendation algorithms, infinite scrolling, notifications and other design features were developed to maximize the amount of time users spend on the platforms.
Meanwhile, Meta is facing a separate lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of 29 states. The company is accused of unlawfully collecting data on children and failing to adequately protect minors. Meta denies the allegations.
Legal pressure on the company intensified following a ruling by a New Mexico court, which ordered Meta to pay $567 million and take additional measures to protect children. Combined with a previously imposed $375 million penalty, the total amount of damages in the case has reached $942 million.
The latest developments show how U.S. courts are gradually turning the debate over the impact of social media on teenagers from a public controversy into a major legal battle — one that could ultimately affect the way social media platforms are designed.
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