On Tuesday, a federal judge in California ruled that the parent company of Facebook $Meta Platforms (META.US)$ must face lawsuits from various states in the USA, accusing it of exacerbating mental health issues among teenagers by making Facebook and Instagram platforms addictive.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, based in Oakland, usa, rejected Meta's motion to dismiss the charges in two separate lawsuits filed last year by multiple states, including California, New York, and over 30 other states, with another lawsuit filed by Florida.

However, Rogers imposed some restrictions on the accusations from the states, agreeing with Meta's argument that a federal law called Section 230 provides some protection to online platforms. Nevertheless, she found that the states had provided enough details regarding the company's alleged deceptive statements to proceed with most of the cases.

This judge also rejected motions to dismiss personal injury lawsuits brought by individual plaintiffs against Meta, TikTok under ByteDance, Google's YouTube, and SnapChat under Snap. It is important to note that these companies are not the defendants in the lawsuits by these states.

This ruling clears the way for various states and other plaintiffs to seek more evidence and potentially proceed to trial.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in a declaration: "Meta needs to be accountable for the real harm it has caused to children in California and across the usa."

The lawyer representing the plaintiff of personal injury stated in a joint statement that the ruling was a significant victory for young people nationwide who have been negatively impacted by addiction and harmful social media platforms.

A spokesperson for Meta stated that the company generally disagrees with the ruling and mentioned that the company has developed many tools to support teenagers and their parents, including the new 'teen accounts' on Instagram with protective measures.

A spokesperson for Google stated that these allegations are 'completely unfounded' and mentioned, 'Providing a safer and healthier experience for young people has always been at the core of our work.'

Other social media companies did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Currently, states are seeking court orders against Meta for alleged illegal business practices and are seeking unspecified financial compensation.

Various plaintiffs have filed hundreds of lawsuits, accusing social media companies of designing addictive algorithms that lead to anxiety, depression, and body image issues in teenagers, without warning them of the risks.

Editor/Lambor