Meta to appeal US court orders allowing suits over social media addiction

By Peter Blumberg

 

Meta Platforms Inc. said it intends to appeal court rulings allowing dozens of states and hundreds of school districts across the US to proceed with lawsuits blaming “addictive” social media apps for contributing to a mental health crisis among youths. 

The technology giant filed notices late Thursday that it will ask the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review separate orders last month by a federal judge in California rejecting the company’s requests for dismissal of the complaints.

 

In the states’ case, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers sided with 34 attorneys general who filed claims over allegedly harmful effects of the Facebook and Instagram platforms.

 

The suits brought by the school districts were filed against TikTok, Snap and Google in addition to Meta. Rogers generally denied a request for dismissal of negligence claims, but narrowed the scope of allegations that will proceed. She concluded that some claims are barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a longstanding federal law shielding internet companies from lawsuits.