Meta, which has recently received a series of unfavorable rulings in lawsuits over the harms of social networking services (SNS), will also have to continue facing a lawsuit over "SNS addiction" brought by 29 U.S. states.
Reuters reported on the 30th (local time) that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland declined Meta's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 29 states, including California and Colorado.
Meta argued that because "SNS addiction" is not a condition recognized by the psychiatric community, the company's statement that "its platforms are not addictive" cannot be deemed false.
However, in her order, Judge Rogers found it reasonable that the state attorneys general interpreted Meta's statement to mean that "Facebook and Instagram were not designed to cause compulsive use harmful to teens." She added that this issue could be subject to a dispute over facts.
Judge Rogers also found that Meta failed to properly comply with notification and parental consent procedures under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and issued a partial summary judgment in favor of the states on that point.
Previously, the states filed suit in 2023, saying Facebook and Instagram, operated by Meta, were designed in ways that could cause depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with academics and daily life, and self-harm among children and teens.
Meta said of the decision, "We strongly disagree with the plaintiffs' claims, and we believe the evidence will show that we have long supported teens." The trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 18.
In addition to this case, Judge Rogers is overseeing consolidated lawsuits brought by more than 2,600 individuals, school districts, and local governments over whether SNS platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok are addictive.
Meta has recently faced a string of unfavorable outcomes in lawsuits related to SNS harms. In a so-called bellwether trial held in March at a court in Los Angeles, California, a jury ordered Meta and Google to pay a total of $6 million (about 9 billion won) in a case brought by a woman in her 20s known as "Kaylee G.M." In a lawsuit brought by the state of New Mexico, Meta was fined $375 million (about 560 billion won).
A lawsuit filed by a school district in eastern Kentucky was settled.
Meta also faces a second bellwether trial brought by a 15-year-old boy in Florida known by the initials "R.K.C." The trial is set for next month.
NBC, citing attorneys for the plaintiffs, reported that TikTok reached a surprise settlement with the plaintiffs ahead of this trial. Google's video platform YouTube had previously reached a settlement with the same plaintiff.
As a result, in the trial set for July 27 at the Los Angeles court, only Meta and Snap are expected to sit at the defendant's table.