U.S. judge weighs school districts’ addiction claims against social media companies
A U.S. federal judge is considering whether school districts can take their lawsuits against major social media companies to trial over claims that platform designs knowingly addict young users. At a hearing in Oakland, California, attorneys for Meta and other companies argued that federal law shields them from liability, while school districts said they have been forced to spend significant resources addressing student mental health problems linked to social media use.
The companies urged U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to block the cases, citing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally protects platforms from liability over user-generated content. Defense lawyers argued that the districts’ claims rely heavily on such content and should therefore be barred.
Lawyers for the school districts countered that their cases focus not on user content but on platform features they say were deliberately designed to keep children and teenagers engaged for as long as possible. They argued that these design choices have contributed to rising anxiety, depression and cyberbullying among students, creating financial and staffing burdens for schools.
The lawsuits are part of a broader wave of thousands of cases nationwide accusing companies including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube of fueling a youth mental health crisis. Judge Rogers is weighing whether several test cases should proceed to trial, a decision that could shape future litigation and potential settlements across the country.