A high-stakes legal battle over alleged teen harm is set for August. Meta wants the 9th Circuit to pause the trial. State attorneys general are pressing forward with addiction claims.
Media and publishing professionals tracking platform liability should note Meta Platforms' latest legal maneuver: the company has asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an emergency order halting a scheduled August trial over claims that its platforms harm teens. The outcome could impact how digital platforms defend against addiction-related lawsuits and influence future content moderation strategies.
Unless the appellate court intervenes, attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Kentucky, and New Jersey will proceed to trial against Meta on August 12 before U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California. The states allege Meta violated consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the addictiveness of its platforms and by harming young users. Their complaint points to features like algorithmic recommendations and autoplay videos as contributing to addictive behaviors.
Meta previously argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields it from liability for user-generated content, but Judge Rogers ruled that while some addiction-related claims are precluded by Section 230, others can move forward. Meta appealed this decision, and the 9th Circuit heard arguments in January but has not yet ruled. Meta's attorneys now argue that the trial should be postponed until the appellate court clarifies Section 230's applicability.
Currently, 29 state attorneys general are suing Meta in federal court, with additional lawsuits filed in state courts. The company also faces addiction-related claims from school districts, cities, teens, and families. Other major platforms, including Google, TikTok, and Snap, are named as defendants in many of these cases.
Recent jury verdicts have gone against Meta. In March, a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for violating state consumer-protection law and ordered $375 million in damages. That same month, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google's YouTube liable for harming a young woman's mental health, awarding $6 million in damages, with Meta responsible for 70% and Google for 30%. Another trial involving a teen plaintiff was set to begin in Los Angeles but was withdrawn after the teen settled similar claims against TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated on X that the withdrawn claims "never held up." For more on the broader legal risks Meta faces, see this report on the $1.4 trillion penalty demand from state attorneys general: state AGs' pursuit of massive penalties against Meta.
