The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined at this stage to halt lawsuits alleging that products from Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google cause addiction among minors, TechCrunch reported.
The plaintiffs allege that the companies intentionally used addictive design features and failed to warn the public about the associated risks to children.
The platforms relied on Section 230, which limits their liability for content posted by users. They argued that the protection should also apply to claims about the design of their services.
The court did not decide that argument on its merits, saying such an appeal would usually be brought after a trial. The ruling therefore does not establish liability but allows the litigation to proceed.
Thousands of claims filed by private individuals, state and local authorities, and school districts have been consolidated into one federal proceeding.
