US court lets social media addiction lawsuits proceed

More than 3,000 lawsuits alleging that major social media platforms were built to be addictive for young users will continue after a decision Monday by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The cases name Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap and other companies. They were filed by states, municipalities, school districts and individual plaintiffs seeking damages, civil penalties and restitution.

9th Circuit says appeal was premature

San Francisco

The appeals court rejected an appeal by Meta and TikTok on procedural grounds, concluding that the lower-court ruling they challenged was not a final decision. The outcome sends the litigation back to federal district court for further proceedings. The panel did not resolve whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 ultimately protects the companies from liability. The couSources said the appeal came too early, leaving the underlying legal fight for later stages of the federal cases. Section 230 arguments remain undecided The lawsuits were consolidated before Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. She ruled in 2023 and 2024 that most of the claims could proceed.

Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen wrote that Section 230

Meta and TikTok argued on appeal that Section 230 shields them from lawsuits tied to content posted by users. In a 24-page opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen wrote that Section 230 provides a “defense to liability,” but does not automatically prevent lawsuits from being filed.

During oral arguments in January, Nguyen questioned broad assertions of immunity, stating, “When Congress wants to give immunity from suit, it knows how to say that.” The panel still did not decide whether Section 230 ultimately blocks the plaintiffs’ claims.

State-court cases produce early verdicts and orders

Separate disputes over youth social media use are also advancing in state courts. About 3,300 cases are being handled together in a coordinated proceeding in California state court, according to case-management descriptions in filings referenced in the source material.

In the first bellwether trial in March, a Los Angeles jury sided with a 20-year-old woman who said she developed depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia after becoming addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. The jury awarded $6 million and found Meta and Google negligent in design and for failing to warn about risks; TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff before trial.

Also in March, a jury in New Mexico found that Meta willfully misled users about platform safety and enabled child sexual exploitation, ordering $375 million in civil penalties to the state. State District Judge Bryan Biedscheid later ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million and implement safeguards including stricter age verification and usage limits; Meta denied wrongdoing and said it intends to appeal.

Trials and regulation accelerate as cases return to court A trial in a separate lawsuit brought by 29 states against Meta is set to begin Wednesday. The appeals court on Monday dismissed Meta’s bid to delay that trial, which alleges violations of federal privacy and state consumer-protection laws related to collecting children’s data, using potentially addictive features and making misleading safety representations; Meta denies the allegations.

Outside the courtroom, governments have moved toward tighter youth rules. Australia in December imposed a nationwide restriction on social media access for children under 16, while Spain has proposed a similar under-16 restriction and France’s parliament approved a ban for children under 15 that remains under constitutional review.

In Asia, Indonesia in March began barring children under 16 from creating accounts on major social media and gaming platforms, and Malaysia in June began requiring platforms to verify users’ ages and prevent children under 16 from making or holding accounts. In the U.S., at least 20 states have passed laws targeting young users’ social media usage, though many face legal challenges, and Illinois in July enacted a law scheduled to take effect in 2028 with limits on data-driven feeds, nighttime notifications, and default privacy protections for minors.

The next developments are expected as the federal cases return to Judge Gonzalez Rogers and as additional state-court trials proceed, where claims centered on product design and youth harms will continue to be tested.