Court dismisses certain claims in Meta’s social media harm lawsuit

Claims against Meta: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, achieved partial dismissal of certain claims in numerous lawsuits alleging that he concealed the harmful effects of Facebook and Instagram on children. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, delivered the ruling amidst a broad legal battle initiated by children bringing forth hundreds of lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies, alleging addiction to their platforms.

In the extensive litigation, twenty-five cases aimed to hold Zuckerberg personally accountable, asserting that Meta's founder misled the public about the safety of the platforms despite repeated warnings of their unsuitability for children. Plaintiffs argued that Zuckerberg's influential public status and significant role as the "trusted voice on all things Meta" obligated him, under various state laws, to fully and truthfully disclose the risks posed by the company's products to children.

However, Judge Rogers ruled that the plaintiffs couldn't establish that Zuckerberg personally owed such a duty to each plaintiff based on his superior knowledge of Meta's products. She deemed that adopting such an approach would impose a broad duty to disclose for any public figure, which she found untenable.

Meta, although remaining a defendant, refrained from providing comment on the matter and maintained its denial of wrongdoing. The litigation landscape includes numerous pending lawsuits filed by individual children against Meta and other social media entities such as Alphabet, ByteDance (operator of TikTok), and Snap (operator of Snapchat).

The legal actions assert that social media use has caused physical, mental, and emotional harm to children, including anxiety, depression, and instances of suicide. The litigation seeks both damages and cessation of the alleged harmful practices. Additionally, several states and school districts have filed lawsuits against Meta, adding further complexity to the legal proceedings.

(With Reuters inputs)