# US court clears way for 3,000 addiction lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok

2026-08-12T19:50:52+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an early appeal from Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap, allowing more than 3,000 lawsuits accusing them of designing addictive products for young users to proceed. The court ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides a defence against liability, not immunity from being sued, so the appeal was premature. The ruling clears the way for a trial brought by 29 state attorneys general against Meta, scheduled to start on 18 August in Oakland. Meta has called the states’ claims “unsubstantiated” and warned that damages could reach $1.4 trillion, while the states seek billions and app changes such as removing infinite scrolling. The Hindu reports that a New Mexico judge recently ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund. Meta and Google have denied wrongdoing in related cases.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/us-appeals-court-allows-thousands-of-lawsuits-against-social-media-companies-over-user-addiction-claims-to-proceed/article71330906.ece>
- livemint.com <https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/setbacks-for-meta-continue-tech-giant-calls-allegations-of-misleading-users-unsubstantiated-ahead-of-upcoming-trial-11786674657784.html>

Tags: Meta, Section 230, social media addiction, TikTok, US appeals court, youth mental health
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