Tech companies must face thousands of lawsuits over social media addiction, appeals court rules

On Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that major technology companies must face thousands of online safety lawsuits regarding social media addiction. The court determined that firms such as Meta and TikTok had appealed the pending litigation prematurely.

At the center of the legal dispute is the technology liability shield, which the appeals court addressed in its Monday opinion. The ruling allows the massive wave of coordinated litigation from users and families to proceed through the court system without being dropped at this early stage.