Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap are facing lawsuits filed by American school districts in federal court, accusing these addictive apps of causing a mental health crisis among students.
California district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a court order on Thursday ruling that Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap must face accusations of addiction to their apps by school districts.
This latest ruling contradicts the favorable judgment on the same companies by the Los Angeles Superior Court on June 7.
Rogers’ decision may hold these companies liable for damages in over 150 cases she presides over. However, in over 600 cases in Los Angeles, these companies may be exempt.
Rogers rejected dismissal requests regarding some claims of negligence and limited the scope of charges under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
This law primarily protects internet platforms from legal responsibility for user-generated content.
According to Bloomberg, a spokesperson from Meta stated in a release that the company disagrees with the court’s ruling and mentioned that they have taken steps to ensure the safety of young users on the platform.
Snap also referred to its safety measures, arguing that studies show its Snapchat social software has a positive impact on users’ well-being. TikTok did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated in an email to English Epoch Times that “providing a safer, healthier experience for teenagers has always been at the core of our work. We collaborate with young people, mental health and parenting experts to establish services and policies that provide age-appropriate experiences for young people and offer parents responsible controls. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true.”
Just last Tuesday, Rogers denied Meta’s request to dismiss the lawsuit and ruled to allow extensive litigation against Meta for its Facebook and Instagram platforms exacerbating mental health issues among teenagers due to their addictive nature. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing lawsuits in over 30 states in the United States.
On Thursday, the Attorney General of Montana, Austin Knudsen, filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing it of intentionally sharing addictive harmful content with children and teenagers, endangering their mental health.
Earlier this month, thirteen states in the US and Washington D.C. filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the use of addictive algorithms that harm a large number of young people and children. Both companies have denied any wrongdoing.
Lead attorneys Hazam and Warren praised the ruling as a “victory for schools, teachers, and administrators who are on the front lines of the national youth mental health crisis.”
Bloomberg cited them in a statement saying, “Due to the addictive design of Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, students are struggling, which means schools are struggling – their budgets are stretched, educational missions are redirected as they take on additional responsibilities to support children in crisis.”
The judge pointed out in the court order that 41% of school districts have increased staff focused on student mental health, 46% have created or expanded mental health programs for students, 27% have added student curriculum on social, emotional, and mental health, and 56% have provided teachers with professional development to help them address students facing mental health issues.
Rogers believed the legal theories presented by the schools were reasonable. She noted that social media companies intentionally design their platforms to be addictive, leading to schools having to allocate resources to address students’ mental health crises.