The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected the companies\u2019 initial attempts to halt the litigation before trial, ruling that their appeal was premature<\/p>\n
The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally protects online platforms from liability for user-generated content, also shielded them from claims that they failed to warn users about the potentially addictive design of their products<\/p>\n
The appeals court disagreed, holding that Section 230 provides a defence against liability rather than blanket immunity from lawsuits. As a result, the companies cannot seek an immediate appellate ruling to stop the cases at this stage<\/p>\n
The court also rejected Meta\u2019s request to postpone a trial involving 29 state attorneys general, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. The states allege that Meta collected and used children\u2019s data without adequate safeguards and designed its platforms to keep young users engaged, while misleading the public about the safety of its services<\/p>\n
The lawsuits, brought by states, municipalities, school districts and individual families, allege that social media companies knowingly developed products with addictive features that contributed to rising levels of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems among young people<\/p>\n
The cases have been consolidated before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California. Plaintiffs are seeking damages, penalties and restitution<\/p>\n
The latest ruling comes amid growing international scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on children. Australia has already introduced restrictions on social media use by children, while France plans to restrict access for under-15s and Britain is considering similar measures<\/p>\n
The legal pressure is also growing through individual lawsuits. In the first such case to reach trial, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent and awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child<\/p>\n
Meta has separately faced legal action in New Mexico, where a jury ordered the company to pay $375 million over allegations involving misleading safety claims. A judge later imposed an additional $567 million penalty after finding that Meta had created a public nuisance<\/p>\n
Meta and Google have denied wrongdoing and said they intend to appeal the rulings<\/p>\n
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