Key Takeaways
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not give social media companies immunity from lawsuits claiming their platforms were designed to addict young users.
The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit clears the way for thousands of suits against Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance to proceed.
The court also refused to delay a separate trial starting Wednesday over allegations Meta illegally collected and used children's data.
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Section 230 does not shield social media companies from thousands of lawsuits claiming their platforms were built to addict young people, according to UPI. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit came in response to efforts by Google, Meta, Snap and ByteDance's TikTok to overturn a lower court decision.
The companies argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects online services from liability for third party content, also protects them from suits alleging they failed to warn users about addictive design. Circuit Judge Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen rejected that reading. "Meta argues that such immunity should be implied. We disagree," she wrote in the opinion, per CBS News.
The stakes are already visible. In March, a jury found Meta and YouTube liable for negligently designing addictive platforms that harm children and awarded $6 million to the lead plaintiff, while TikTok and Snap settled before that trial began, The Hill reported. The Ninth Circuit also denied Meta's request to delay a trial starting Wednesday over claims the company collected and used children's data illegally.
The pattern here is hard to ignore. Courts keep declining to let platform design hide behind a law written for third party content, days after a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund for children harmed by its apps, and as regulators pursue platforms over health data shared with Meta and Snap. Worth watching.
People Also Ask
What did the Ninth Circuit rule about Section 230?
The court ruled that Section 230 does not provide social media companies immunity from being sued over addictive platform design, so thousands of youth harm lawsuits can proceed to trial.
Which companies are affected by the ruling?
Google, Meta, Snap and ByteDance's TikTok, the companies that appealed the lower court decision, along with defendants in thousands of related suits consolidated in federal court.
Has a jury already ruled against social media companies over addiction?
Yes. In March 2026 a jury found Meta and YouTube liable for negligently designing addictive platforms that harm children and awarded the lead plaintiff $6 million.
When does Meta's children's data trial start?
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The Ninth Circuit denied Meta's request to delay the trial, which covers allegations the company illegally collected and used children's data.