Meta, TikTok, Snapchat To Face Over 3,000 Lawsuits Over Social Media Addiction

A
US
appeals
cou t
o
Mo day
clea ed
the
way
fo
mo e
tha
3,000
lawsuits
agai st
Meta
Platfo ms,
Alphabet’s
Google,
ByteDa ce’s
TikTok
a d
S ap
ove
allegatio s
that
the
compa ies
desig ed
thei
social
media
p oducts
to
be
addictive
fo
you g
use s.

The
9th
US
Ci cuit
Cou t
of
Appeals
i
Sa
F a cisco
ejected
a
appeal
by
Meta
a d
TikTok
challe gi g
a
lowe
cou t
decisio
that
equi ed
the
compa ies
to
face
the
lawsuits
i
fede al
cou t.
The
appeals
cou t
said
the
compa ies
had
sought
to
challe ge
the
uli g
too
ea ly.

The
cases,
filed
by
pa e ts,
school
dist icts,
states,
mu icipalities
a d
i dividuals,
accuse
the
social
media
compa ies
of
delibe ately
desig i g
thei
platfo ms
to
keep
you g
use s
e gaged,
co t ibuti g
to
co ce s
ove
me tal
health,
i cludi g
dep essio ,
a xiety
a d
body-image
p oblems.

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Meets
Claude:
Busi esses
Ca
Now
T ack
Payme ts
With
AI
P ompts

Cou t
Rejects
Sectio
230
Defe ce
Appeal

Meta
a d
TikTok
had
a gued
that
Sectio
230
of
the
Commu icatio s
Dece cy
Act
of
1996
p otected
them
f om
the
lawsuits.
The
law
ge e ally
shields
o li e
platfo ms
f om
liability
ove
co te t
posted
by
thei
use s.

The
compa ies
a gued
that
the
same
p otectio
should
cove
claims
that
they
failed
to
wa
use s
about
the
allegedly
addictive
atu e
of
thei
platfo ms.
They
also
co te ded
that
they
should
ot
have
to
wait
u til
the
litigatio
co cludes
befo e
challe gi g
the
lowe
cou t’s
decisio
o
Sectio
230.

The
9th
Ci cuit
disag eed.
The
cou t
said
Sectio
230
p ovides
a
defe ce
agai st
liability
athe
tha
immu ity
f om
bei g
sued
i
the
fi st
place.
As
a
esult,
it
uled
that
the
compa ies’
appeal
was
p ematu e.

Meta
Fails
To
Delay
Multistate
T ial

The
appeals
cou t
also
ejected
Meta’s
equest
to
postpo e
a
t ial
scheduled
to
begi
Wed esday.
The
case
was
b ought
by
atto eys
ge e al
f om
29
states,
who
accuse
Meta
of
illegally
collecti g
a d
usi g
child e ‘s
data,
desig i g
its
platfo ms
to
keep
you g
use s
hooked
a d
misleadi g
co sume s
about
thei
safety.

Meta
had
a gued
that
the
t ial
should
ot
p oceed
while
its
appeal
emai ed
u esolved.
The
cou t’s
decisio
mea s
the
t ial
ca
move
ahead
as
scheduled.

The
latest
uli g
comes
days
afte
a
New
Mexico
judge
fou d
that
Meta
had
c eated
a
public
uisa ce
i
the
state.
The
judge
o de ed
the
compa y
to
pay
$567
millio
i to
a
fu d
fo
tee
me tal
health
a d
to
i t oduce
measu es
aimed
at
imp ovi g
youth
safety.

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Meta
Says
‘Ope atio al
E o & squo;
Led
To
Rest ictio
Of
PM
Modi& squo;s
Facebook
Post

Lawsuits
Ta get
Social
Media
P oduct
Desig

The
b oade
litigatio
has
bee
co solidated
befo e
US
Dist ict
Judge
Yvo e
Go zalez
Roge s
i
Oakla d,
Califo ia.
The
plai tiffs
a e
seeki g
damages,
pe alties
a d
estitutio
f om
the
compa ies.

Pa e ts,
school
dist icts,
state
a d
local
gove me ts
a d
othe
plai tiffs
have
a gued
that
the
lawsuits
co ce
the
way
the
platfo ms
a e
desig ed
a d
ope ated,
athe
tha
co te t
posted
by
use s.
They
have
the efo e
challe ged
the
compa ies’
elia ce
o
Sectio
230.

The
plai tiffs
allege
that
social
media
compa ies
i te tio ally
c eated
p oducts
that
could
become
addictive
fo
you g
use s
a d
that
this
co t ibuted
to
a
wide
youth
me tal
health
c isis
i
the
US.
The
compa ies’
legal
challe ges
ove
Sectio
230
will
ow
have
to
p oceed
as
the
u de lyi g
cases
move
fo wa d.

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