Social media on trial: tech giants face lawsuits over addiction, safety, and mental health

A set of bellwether cases alleging that social media platforms harmed teens’ safety and mental health is going to trial this year, putting executives like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the stand to answer questions about what they’ve done or not done to protect kids. After losing two jury trials in Los Angeles and New Mexico, Meta is now facing a third trial against a group of four state attorneys general in an Oakland federal court. Unlike many earlier legal challenges against social media companies, these cases managed to overcome the companies’ attempts to get them dismissed based on objections citing Section 230, a law that protects online platforms from being held liable for their users’ speech. They accuse companies like Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google-owned YouTube of designing their platforms in ways that, the plaintiffs claim, they knew could contribute to addiction, depression, and anxiety. Follow along below for all of the latest updates from the trials we’re currently following.