Big Tech Fights Addiction Lawsuits, Appeals Court Rules

Tech companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat, must now confront more than 3,000 federal lawsuits. These suits allege the platforms were deliberately designed to addict young users. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the companies' request to reverse a lower court's decision, deeming the appeal premature.

The appeals court specified that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act serves as a liability defense, not an outright immunity against legal action. This distinction means platforms cannot preemptively appeal based on Section 230 protections before district court proceedings conclude. The court also rejected Meta's separate request to postpone a trial initiated by 29 state attorneys general, scheduled to begin Wednesday.

This ruling comes amidst several recent courtroom setbacks for Meta. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent for creating harmful platforms for minors. More recently, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading consumers about platform safety, followed by a judge ordering an additional $567 million and youth-safety measures due to public nuisance claims.

While the federal litigation has generally moved against the tech companies, one Florida teenager dropped an addiction lawsuit against Meta after confidential settlements with other defendants. Meta viewed this dismissal as a validation of its stance.