Appeals Court Nixes Meta, TikTok Bid to Halt Youth Addiction Lawsuits

The TikTok app icon on a smartphone, in this illustration taken Oct. 27, 2025. Dado Ruvic/ReutersA federal appeals court on Aug. 10 permitted thousands of lawsuits to proceed against major social media companies over allegations their products are designed to addict young users.A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit turned away an appeal by TikTok and Meta to reverse a lower court ruling forcing them to face approximately 3,000 lawsuits filed in federal court. Meta is the parent company of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.The panel held the companies’ appeal was premature.The companies had argued that Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996—which shields online companies from claims arising from content posted by users—also blocks lawsuits claiming they failed to inform the public that their platforms can be addictive.Although appeals are generally filed after a case has ended, the companies argued that they should not have to wait until the case is finalized in the lower court to contest the rejection of their immunity defense.However, the appeals panel held on Aug. 10 that Section 230 “provides a defense to liability, not immunity from suit,” so the appeal was filed too early, according to the opinion written by Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen.Because the appeal was ruled premature, the court did not rule on whether Section 230 actually shields the companies from claims based on the design of their platforms or their alleged failure to disclose addiction risks.The panel also denied a related emergency motion by Meta to delay a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 12 in a lawsuit filed by 29 state attorneys general. They claim Meta unlawfully collected and used children’s data, designed social media platforms to be addictive to children, and misled consumers.The companies had argued the trial should not proceed while the appeal over Section 230 was still pending. Having already dismissed the main appeal, the panel found the motion no longer relevant.Meta and TikTok declined to comment.The new ruling came after a New Mexico state judge on Aug. 6 ordered Meta to pay $567 million for the harm the company’s social media platforms were deemed to have caused to children’s mental health.“The Court finds that the weight of the evidence presented demonstrates that Meta’s platforms are a cause of and substantial contributing factor to the youth mental health crisis in New Mexico,” Judge Bryan Biedscheid wrote.Meta denied any wrongdoing.That penalty was imposed in addition to $375 million in fines that a New Mexico jury levied against Meta in March for violating the state’s Unfair Practices Act by failing to disclose the potential risks associated with children using its social media platforms.The state had sued the company in December 2023, claiming its platforms were a “breeding ground” for predators targeting children for human trafficking and other illicit purposes.Meta also denied wrongdoing in that case.Aldgra Fredly and Reuters contributed to this report.