A US federal appeals court has rejected an attempt by major social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and Google, to dismiss thousands of lawsuits accusing them of deliberately designing addictive products aimed at children. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the platforms could not rely on Section 230, the law shielding online platforms from liability for content posted by users, because the case had not yet gone to trial and such appeals typically come afterwards. The ruling means the litigation, which poses significant legal and financial risk to the companies, will continue.

The lawsuits, brought by private individuals, state and local governments, and school districts, have been consolidated into a single federal case rather than proceeding separately. It remains too early to predict the eventual outcome, though Meta has already lost two related lawsuits, marking the first time the company has been found liable by a jury over child safety concerns linked to its platforms.