US Appeals Court Rejects Meta, TikTok Bid to Dismiss Addiction Lawsuits
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A US federal appeals court has rejected Meta and TikTok's attempt to dismiss thousands of lawsuits alleging their platforms cause addiction and mental health harm in young users. The ruling allows the consolidated cases to move forward in lower courts, despite the companies' argument that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields them from liability.
The Court's Ruling
The appeals court ruled that Meta and TikTok had appealed too early in the litigation process, and that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act cannot be used to seek dismissal of lawsuits pre-trial. The decision noted that the law only provides a defense against liability, not a mechanism to halt proceedings at an early stage. The court also found it lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal at this point, rejecting the companies' request outright. The ruling affects thousands of cases consolidated from individual complaints across the US.
Consolidated Addiction Claims
Thousands of lawsuits accuse Meta and TikTok of designing platforms that foster addictive use, particularly among adolescents, leading to mental health issues. The cases have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation. In a related 2023 trial, a jury awarded $6 million in damages, finding Meta and YouTube partially responsible for the mental health impacts on some users. One plaintiff, a 20-year-old identified as K.G.M., alleged that social media addiction caused or worsened their mental health conditions.
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