Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, achieved partial victory as U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed certain claims in a series of lawsuits alleging that Facebook and Instagram were detrimental to children.
The ruling, delivered in Oakland, California, addressed a vast litigation brought by minors who accused Meta and other social media giants of fostering addiction to their platforms.
While twenty-five cases targeted Zuckerberg personally, asserting that he misrepresented the safety of Meta’s platforms despite being aware of their risks, Judge Rogers ruled that the plaintiffs couldn’t establish a duty for Zuckerberg to disclose such information to each individual.
She deemed it impractical to impose a duty to disclose on any public figure, even one as prominent as Zuckerberg, solely based on their comparative knowledge of a company’s products.
Meta, though still a defendant, refrained from commenting on the ruling, maintaining its stance of denying any wrongdoing.
The legal battle continues with numerous lawsuits filed by individual children against Meta and other tech giants like Alphabet (Google and YouTube), ByteDance (TikTok), and Snap.
These lawsuits detail the physical, mental, and emotional harm suffered by children due to excessive social media use, including anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts.
The litigation seeks not only financial compensation but also demands an end to practices deemed harmful by the plaintiffs.
Beyond individual cases, several states and school districts have also initiated legal action against Meta, reflecting growing concerns over the impact of social media on the well-being of young users.
As these legal battles unfold, the broader debate around the responsibility of tech companies for safeguarding users, especially minors, continues to gain momentum.
