Social media companies are no strangers when it comes to lawsuits. But according to a US appeals court, it seems that the floodgate of lawsuits is about to be opened. The court has essentially allowed thousands of lawsuits to move forward against social media companies. This includes platforms from Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap regarding social media addiction.
Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap face lawsuits over social media addiction
Like we said, social media companies are no stranger to lawsuits. But it doesn’t mean they want to fight each and every single one of them. That’s why Meta and TikTok had previously filed for an appeal that would overturn a lower court ruling that would have required them to face more than 3,000 lawsuits.
But the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the companies’ appeal came too early. Meta and TikTok had argued that Section 230 should protect them. That’s the law that shields platforms from liability over what users post. The companies wanted to use it to appeal immediately, before the case even goes to trial. But the court said Section 230 only offers a defense against liability, not blanket immunity from being sued, so there was nothing yet for them to appeal.
This is why companies like Meta will now have to face these lawsuits over social media addiction. This is also not the first time Meta has faced these types of lawsuits. In fact, it was just recently that Meta was hit with a fine over child safety concerns.
Skipping the Courtroom Entirely
So while in the US, social media companies are fighting the courts and debating over whether or not they’re considered addictive, governments in other parts of the world have gone with a more straightforward approach. Instead of sitting around debating in the courts, some governments have banned it outright.
This includes countries like Australia and Canada, where they plan to ban social media for users under a certain age. Malaysia, France, and Indonesia have all rolled out their own age limits this year, and Norway and Denmark are drafting similar bans now. This is because there is concern about how social media can affect the mental health of kids.
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