Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap Face Legal Battles Over Alleged Student Addiction

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Key Takeaways

  • A judge ruled Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap must face school addiction lawsuits.
  • Schools claim platforms use addictive features targeting minors.
  • The ruling contrasts with a prior Los Angeles court decision.

A federal judge has ruled that Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap must face lawsuits from school districts accusing them of running addictive platforms that fuel a student mental health crisis. 

This decision, reported by Bloomberg News, came Thursday from US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California,

The ruling comes just three days after Meta won a lawsuit related to child safety. On Tuesday, a U.S. district court ruled that Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg did not mislead investors about protecting young users, dismissing claims due to lack of evidence of economic loss or intentional deception.

Despite this win, Meta faces ongoing scrutiny over user safety and privacy practices across its platforms.

Schools Claim Platforms Are Built to Fuel Kids’ Addiction

The school districts claim that the companies’ algorithms and features, such as the “like” button, were intentionally designed to make their platforms addictive, leading to excessive use among minors.

This is not the first time social media giants have faced lawsuits on kids’ addiction claims. In June, social media platforms run by ByteDance, Meta, Google, and Snap emerged victorious in a lawsuit accusing them of enabling increased mental health risks for adolescent users.

Unlike the June court ruling, Judge Rogers has now found this claim credible, suggesting that some features on the platforms may have contributed to increased mental health issues in schools, requiring additional resources.

While the case will proceed, Judge Rogers has narrowed the claims, stating that some allegations fall under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which offers internet companies limited immunity from lawsuits concerning user-generated content.

Nonetheless, further hearings will be given to over 150 cases under Rogers’ jurisdiction, while over 600 other cases in Los Angeles courts remain dismissed.

Representatives for the companies denied the allegations, noting they already have existing safety measures in place for minors.